The Time is the second album by Britishpop bandBros and the follow-up to their debut Push. It was released on 16 October 1989 and was their first album as a duo of twins Matt and Luke Goss, following the departure of bassist Craig Logan earlier in the year. It was also the first album to feature Matt and Luke as co-writers, along with Nicky Graham. Four singles were released from the album: "Too Much", "Chocolate Box", "Madly in Love" and "Sister". The track "Sister" was written about Matt and Luke's stepsister Carolyn, who was killed in a collision with a drunk driver in London in 1988. The album reached number four in the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold in the UK.
Critical reception
Mike Soutar of Smash Hits recognised the duo's talent and stated that their playing had become more accomplished and that their sound was "more mature" compared with debut albumPush. He called the opening four tracks "promising", but then went on to say, "Where Bros do come unstuck, however, is when they turn their attention to serious 'social' issues, namely drugs in 'Streetwise' and racism in 'Black & White'. Well intentioned as they may be, neither of these topics are particularly new to pop music, and Bros have nothing fresh to say about them... And that's Bros' big problem: about half the songs on this LP are just ideas thrown together and never really finished properly." William Ruhlmann of AllMusic noted that Bros were coming to the end of their popularity, and that their music had not travelled well across the Atlantic, saying, "As with most teenage heartthrobs, the music wasn't the point; all of these songs are heavily produced, glossy dance tracks in which Matt Goss's enthusiastic but thin vocals are the least noticeable aspect. The point was image, and without a big promotional push, that image never became visible to Americans, while, in England, it was only good for the life of this record, completing Bros' two years of fame."
Track listing
US and Canada version
Personnel
Bros
Matt Goss – vocals, keyboards, programming and bass
Luke Goss – drums, percussion, keyboards, programming and bass
