The long-awaited Jonas Brothers album was finally released on May 12. Since its initial announcement in February, fans have been patiently waiting for the trio’s sixth album. With teasers in their SNL performance on April 9 and the announcement of “The Tour” — a Taylor Swift “Eras” style tour where they’re playing songs from all of their albums — it was about time we finally heard the 12 tracks they’ve been raving about.
“The Album” made it clear that the Jonas Brothers are producing music for the generation that’s been following them since 2006 when their debut album “It’s About Time” hit the shelves and made its way into our CD players. With steamy songs like “Vacation Eyes” and “Summer in the Hamptons,” the infamous purity ring-wearers are no longer afraid to talk about sex — after all, their fans have grown up with them. The first 10 tracks are fun, light-hearted and sometimes sensual, but the last two, “Little Bird” and “Walls” show their fans their hearts, singing to their daughters (BRB, crying at the fact that these heartthrobs are all girl-dads).
As a long-devoted fan — see below for a picture of a friend and me (left) going to a Jonas Brothers’ concert in 2009 — I’d been keeping up with my first celebrity crushes. From “Married to Jonas,” (Kevin’s two season reality show with his wife) to Nick’s solo career (cue “Jealous”) and DNCE (“Cake By the Ocean,” anyone?), I’ve been there through it all. I wasn’t a huge fan of the band’s reconciliation and fifth album, “Happiness Begins,” but I believe my happiness has returned with “The Album.”
See why I’m calling “The Album” the soundtrack of the summer in this quick review.
- “Miracle”
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There is nothing quite like starting with a Nick Jonas falsetto moment. Right from the top, I wanted more. It’s sexy and fun, while also serving major road-trip vibes. I’m hooked.
- “Montana Sky”
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LOTS of road-trip vibes in this one. If you’re from a small town where weekend getaways to beaches or mountains were a regular occurrence in your childhood, “Montana Sky” will fill you with nostalgia. If you’re a city girl, maybe this will inspire you to take a train upstate with your besties and get out of the city.
- “Wings”
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“Wings” was released as a single earlier this year with a music video featuring superfan Haley Lu Richardson. Musically, this song has a lot of dynamic sections. It starts with just Nick’s voice and a keyboard, then we hear more voices with some bass and drums, then it eventually slows back down and then strips to just keyboard again. The song is just under two minutes long, so it’s not crazy repetitive.
- “Sail Away”
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Stand out moment for Joe! As an avid Joe-girl growing up, hearing him start this song warmed my heart. “Sail Away” will be so cool live, especially since it has a dancey feel. I’ve never been to Coachella, but this song’s vibe is what I imagine a Coachella theme song would sound like.
- “Americana”
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This is my favorite on the album. As someone from a small town in the middle of California, where the coolest thing was Yosemite about an hour away, this song reminds me of summer afternoons sitting by the pool with my dad grilling and my mom gathering drinks.
- “Celebrate”
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This one wasn’t my personal favorite, but it was such a cute culmination of everything these brothers have gone through. With a childhood spent in the spotlight and some very public relationships, they all are finally married with kids and seem to be living their best lives. Also, the bridge is just Joe’s voice telling us to celebrate with him, so I was all in.
- “Waffle House”
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Another pre-album release single is “Waffle House.” The song is a perfect single. It has an uplifting message and features both Joe and Nick’s voices, and the music is so fun, you’ll want to get up and dance listening to it.
- “Vacation Eyes”
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This song has the same vibe as “Versace on the Floor” by Bruno Mars. It’s sexy and sweet, basically saying they get “vacation eyes” any night they’re with their wives. GTG, melting.
- “Summer in the Hamptons”
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Short, sweet and straight to the point. The chorus is literally just Nick and Joe alternating singing the line, “sex like summer in the Hamptons.” I mean come on, how could you not melt hearing that?
- “Summer Baby”
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This song is the last of the “upbeat” and more sensual songs, and it’s a perfect culmination of everything we’ve already heard. It’s all about falling in love with your partner every time you see or think about them. The most important line, to me, is “You feel like summer, baby.” They’re giving Taylor Swift a run for her money on different ways to say “I love you.”
- “Little Bird”
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Brace yourselves: this is a song to their daughters. They sing about how they know they’re doing their job right when they start to see their kids less because it means they’re ready to fly away on their own. Joe’s verse starts with a vision of watching his daughter walking down the aisle at her wedding. I am unwell.
- “Walls”
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I think this was the best way to end the album. They performed this one at SNL, too, and it was insane. They had a whole choir behind them, and Nick blesses us with his classic falsetto register once again. Since the whole album to this point has been declarations of love for their wives, daughters, family, etc., this one is all about if they ever lost their loves, “even the walls would cry.”