So this release is a little weird for me to talk about. I used to be a HUGE Jonas Brothers fan. They were my One Direction really. It's probably a good thing that I have bad anxiety over posting things on the internet because if I hadn't been, back then I'm sure I would have been a crazy rabid fan bashing & defending (I was in like 7-8th grade xD). One really cool thing was that I actually got the opportunity to meet them before a concert one time. Even though I'm not really into them now, that was a neat memory. It saddens me a little that I don't care for anything they've done since the breakup, but I guess we all grow up and move on at some point.
This is their fourth and final album. Also the point where I was starting to fall out of love with them.
Track #1, World War III: Before I start, I should probably say that this is my least favorite album of theirs. In fact, I don't care for it much at all. Most of the songs are average at best. This song is one of the few exceptions on the album. I think it's sung well and the composition is stellar. It's such a deceiving song because one of the best tracks is first which makes you think the rest of the album will be the same. 5/5.
Track #2, Paranoid: This was a terrible idea for a single. I know that with this album they were trying to "mature" or whatever, but this song is so so average. I don't really know why I used to like them as much as I did. Nick's voice is really grating. It's a little better now, but then, yikes. With this song, it really sounds flat. There's hardly any change in tone between the verses and the chorus. If they were to pick up the chorus a little more, it might not be such a boring song. 3/5.
Track #3, Fly With Me: This was the song in the second Night At The Museum right? Great movie, super unnecessary cameo by them. I remember my dad teasing me about them being in the movie. It was right when I was starting to grow out of them so I pretended to be excited for the cameo even though I didn't really care. This song is one of the more "Disney"-esque songs on the album. More like their older stuff. For that reason, it is a more enjoyable listen; but it's not something I'd listen to anymore. 3.5/5.
Track #4, Poison Ivy: And this one sounds like a "rockier" country song. I really don't like country music. At least Joe's voice is less annoying than Nick's. The only good thing I can say about the song is the keyboard in the bridge. That would have been cool to hear through the whole song. I finished playing Lego Batman 3 recently (It was really fun actually xD) and when they sing Poison Ivy I can't stop thinking about the one character in the game called that. 3/5.
Track #5, Hey Baby: I almost feel bad not caring for this album. I appreciate that they were attempting to create more mature music, but to me, it just feels like too large of a departure from their previous albums too fast. Not everything that they did was lackluster, as parts of this song prove. The prechorus was really well done, but I just can't take them seriously with the "darker" tone of the song. Which is weird because I like World War III. I don't know. Relistening to this album is really causing mixed emotions about them. 3.5/5.
Track #6, Before The Storm (ft. Miley Cyrus): Full confession time. I used to hate Miley for about a year when I found out she was dating Nick xD Keep in mind I was in middle school when that happened though lol. I feel stupid for thinking like that now. It was ridiculous. When this album was released, I actually liked her, so I was super excited that she was appearing on the album. I don't remember what I thought about the song then, but now I think it's kind of boring. It's trying to be too serious. Miley really does have a wonderful voice here though. She can really sing. Nick's voice also isn't completely annoying here. To be honest, I'd probably love it more if it was a Miley solo. 3.5/5.
Track #7, What Did I Do To Your Heart: Argh again with the country influences. Also, is it just me or are the bulk of these songs sounding the same to anyone else? Now I remember why I never really took any songs away from this album. Being completely biased here, but I don't like this song because of it sounding like a country song. Country is the genre I like the least. There are VERY few country songs/acts that I can stand and this just sounds like one of those painfully awful generic male country singer tracks except without the southern twang. Bleck. 2.5/5.
Track #8, Much Better: Any song that says you *want* to fight with your girlfriend/boyfriend is stupid to me. I don't understand why so many songs talk about that. Shouldn't the goal be to NOT fight with your significant other? I know it says about making up later, but why fight at all? Just....stupid. Joe's voice sounds pretty good in this song. It seems to me that when they sing more restrained their vocals are good but attempting to belt anything out just makes them annoying. 3/5.
Track #9, Black Keys: I vaguely remember counting this song as one of the better ones on the album. I don't know why I thought that way because it's a ballad (and Nick led), but it's not bad. Nick should have always sung with his voice restrained like this because he sounds nice. What I do appreciate about the ballads of this album, is that there is discernible emotion in them. 3.5/5.
Track #10, Don't Charge Me For The Crime (ft. Common): This one has always really confused me. They were going for a more rocky mature image...and they have a pseudo-hip hop/rock song with a rapper on it on the album. Even more confusing, this is one of the better songs on the album. I wonder if a more urban route like Joe & Nick chose to pursue would have worked for the whole group. The problem with the song is the lyrics. I'm not talking about the lyrics themselves, I'm talking about the fact that they sound so silly singing them because they had such a clean cut good guy image. Common's parts are awesome though. 4/5.
Track #11, Turn Right: Again, their vocals in the slow songs are actually good and not annoying. It's too bad that the songs are boring though. This is the kind of song that has been done to death (and better) by others. 3/5.
Track #12, Don't Speak: I was actually hoping this was a cover of the No Doubt song. Would've been a great way to end this mixed bag of an album. As I listen to this, I keep thinking that this would be an incredible song if someone else was singing it. They just don't have the vocals to carry a song like this. 3.5/5.
Track #13, Keep It Real: Ah yes. The song that was in that ill fated Disney show. I still like some Disney/Nick tween shows, but this one was just dire. The fact that I didn't care for it back then when I still kinda liked the group speaks volumes about the show. Of course this song is like their earlier material so it's not so weird for me to listen to. Still not a big fan of it. Give me Burnin' Up over this any day. 4/5.
It might seem that I'm being overly harsh on this album as it does show a growth in their music and they were trying to be serious about growing as a group. The issue for me is my connection to the earlier Jonas Brothers. Call it bias, nostalgia, or whatever, but this album will never be able to live up to the rest of their discography to me. However, if you're looking for a slightly rocky more mature type of boy band album, this is for you. 3/5.
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