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Album review: Honor Society, 'Fashionably Late'

Honor Product placement in pop music is at least as old as "My Adidas," but the way that the new Jonas Brothers-adjacent pop-rock quartet Honor Society does it on "Fashionably Late" is particularly wan. "I should have listened to that little voice inside my head / when I saw her in the study typin' on her Mac," they sing on "Why Didn't I," a chintzy bit of nu-soul as hot as a forgotten TV dinner.

It's a totally unnecessary status signifier, but a telling detail in the universe of Honor Society, a place where the first thing you notice about a girl is her gleaming new laptop.

The specter of Kevin, Nick and Joe Jonas casts a long shadow over Honor Society. There are faint differences between them -- in, say, the vaults of their fauxhawks and the patinas of their pocket squares. But Honor Society's electro-addled R&B claws even deeper at the bottom of that tween-pop barrel.

If the Jonases hadn't executive produced it, Honor Society would have to lawyer up for "Full Moon Crazy's" resemblance to "World War III." The acoustic lament "Goodnight My Love" will leave you scouring off the phantom scent of secondhand Drakkar Noir for days. "See U in the Dark" is passable emo fromage, but it only underscores how joyless this whole affair is.

-- August Brown

Honor Society
"Fashionably Late"
Hollywood Records
One and a half stars
Comments () | Archives (12)

Um, did you even listen to the lyrics? Because if you're another one comparing them to the Jonas Brothers you clearly didn't. They have deep meaning which you would've noticed if you had actually listened to the songs. One and a half stars. Yeah, ok. Add four to that.

wow. you couldn't be more wrong dude.
This album is EPIC! go buy it!!!

First of all, i still do not see the point of old men reviewing albums that are geared towards teenage girls. it does not make snese. I love the Jonas Brothers and Honor Society is going to rise in fame. I got the album today and it is amazing. So stop accusing them maybe if you listen to the lyrics, you will hear the deeper meaning, buddy. This is five stars. nice try.

Alright, buddy. Listen up. The Jonas Brother– and Honor Society, for that matter– have talent. Don't you dare deny it. Sure, maybe their music is geared toward teenage girls, but don't say that they have nothing going for them. They've got talent; give them a year or so to develop it.

I think you should watch out. These boys may sound Disney now, but they can rock. They're gonna bring it.

:) Oh yeah... try four stars, babe.

Yeah, ladies! Support the gents. ;)

This is funny. not the article.
the fan comments.

this person reviewed the album and told you what they thought.
its called thier job, they have to do it.
they do not have to like the same music as you.
the point of a review is for the REVIEWER to give his/her opinion of their topic. review it. and rate it.

Freaking out about it will not affect any one.
It might make you feel better, but why waste your time reading reviews? this is usually how they turn out when it comes to people on Hollywood records.

The truth is it doesn't matter. This wont affect how many cds they sell.

anyway, I love the Honor Society album but it does remind me of like a JB/backstreet boy/*NSYNC mix...
Luckily I love the Jonas Brothers, so in my mind, Honor Society is good. =]

umm...you fail?
this is honestly one of the best albums ive heard all year.
and its cool if you disagree,
but they sound NOTHING like the jonas brothers.
and its stupid that they are compared,
cause im sure it only has to do with the whole hollywood records thing.
honor societys talents are waaayy beyond that.

really? this album is one of the best i've heard all year! i love these boys, i was with them since basically their start here in LA. and they're amazing! one and a half stars? no sir, 5 stars! if you're going to have an opinion, try to be more open about what you're listening to. don't assume that just because HS is associated with Jonas, that they're the newest protege under a disney label. and btw Honor Society wrote "Full Moon Crazy" before Nick penned out "World War III".
both artists have an amazing amount of talent. sorry you're too dense to see it.

You do realize that Honor Society wouldn't be having this album if it wasn't for the Jonas Brothers. Since, they were help HS with this album, and if they hadn't they probably wouldn't have even made Full Moon Crazy.

But I would think it would be difficult to be Nick J, with this album because of Full Moon Crazy sounds so much like WWIII. He might as well just given them the song. You don't do that with a song as personal as that.

I personally believe this is very wrong. Fashionably late is an amazing album and the boys put a lot of effort into it. They sound amazing and all the songs have deep meaning. They also put on an amazing concert and are all very sweet.

These guys are in their 30s, it's pretty creepy to see 14 yr old girls swooning over these guys and this horrible music.

You have serious issues if you can't see the talent that these four gentlemen have. Even though this is from September, this stupid, untrue atricle makes me so mad. Have you actually listened to the album? Or are you just basing your opinion on the fact they they're signed to the Jonas Brothers record label? Fashionably Late is an amazing album and anyone who has actually listened to the whole thing through wouldn't ever dare to disagree. So why don't you stop hating on Honor Society, because they have a lot more talent than most!


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