REVIEW: Jonas Brothers’ ‘The Album’ is as bland as its generic title
Photo obtained from Apple Music
The Jonas Brothers’ sixth album, “The Album,” fails to equate to the emotional excellence of their previous works.
Early 2000s staple boy band The Jonas Brothers are back this year with an album that explores a newfound maturity in vocal performances and music styles unique from their prior works. The brothers released “The Album,” their shortest collection thus far, on May 12, but it fails to maintain an emotional connection with listeners.
This album showcases the brothers’ harmonies rather than putting any of their individual voices on display. Although the vocals are original, the sound feels slightly robotic and overly AutoTune’d. Still, the upbeat energy in song after song justifies its instant popularity.
The countdown to the release began with “Wings,” the first single in the set. This song has a fun, summer feeling that makes listeners want to jump out of their seats and dance. “Wings” is a classic love song with upbeat melodies and harmonies.
“Waffle House,” the second single from “The Album,” is undeniably the catchiest and most fun song on the record. The repetitive melody and light-hearted lyrics make “Waffle House” the perfect beach listen. But, while this song does explore childhood nostalgia, the lyrics are disappointingly surface-level.
Overall, the record is missing variety. This album is the record of the summer and nothing more. There are no ballads and even the upbeat songs lack emotional lyrics. The songs are entertaining, but do not provoke any feelings in listeners, which will keep “The Album” from soaring up to the top of the charts. Without any real feelings, the songs tend to blend together and become forgettable.
“The Album” limits itself to only containing upbeat songs. The Jonas Brothers have produced incredible ballads, slow songs and even fun songs with meaningful lyrics in the past. Although the maturity in Nick, Joe and Kevin’s voices are displayed, this same maturity does not carry through in the lyrics. Some moments even sound like they were produced by the boys when they started off their careers in 2005, rather than as seasoned veterans in their sixth album.
The album hit an especially low point in “Summer In The Hamptons.” The failed attempt at harmonies in this song sounds more like three people singing completely different songs on top of one another. It is nearly impossible to even hear the words over the conflicting harmonies.
Although the record is certainly listenable and contains the perfect songs to dance to in the summertime, the lack of depth in lyrics and the constant overwhelming harmonies prohibit “The Album” from reaching the level of greatness that the other Jonas Brothers’ records have obtained.
