Pomegranate Seeds: 8/10

After several years of anticipation, The Jonas Brothers released their sixth studio album, simply titled The Album. Here are my thoughts on the trio’s newest project.

The album started strong with track one, “Miracle.” The opening was very fun and cheerful, which was conveyed through instrumentation and the beat. The song had a great beat and rhythm, along with a good speed that highlighted the high energy of the track. The song had a bit of inspiration from R&B and jazz which made the song not too pop-esk. The chorus was very good and had a great level of energy. The song was not only fun but well-made, and I just wish it was a little bit longer.

Track two, “Montana Sky,” opened with a good intro that was already different from the last track. Similar to the previous song, it started with a great beat and speed that set the vibe for the rest of the song. The instrumentation was good, and the chorus brought a different energy than the rest of the song which let it stand out. Overall, “Montana Sky” is a solid pop song that feels very cheerful. Track three, “Wings,” lost the R&B inspirations of the last two tracks but is still a great pop song. The track is very energetic and continues the cheerful, carefree attitude that will be present throughout the entire album. It had a great rhythm and energy, and, ultimately, is one of the best songs on the album. It was very short and I wish it had gone on for longer.

Track four, “Sail Away,” is another one of the best songs on the album. It had a good rhythm and the instrumentation and production were both very well done. The level of energy was high throughout the entire song, and it was that fun, disco-ish vibe that made me enjoy this track. The lyrics felt a bit repetitive by the end of the song, but it was a good length and contained other great qualities. “Americana” is next, and is one of the songs on the album that just blends in. While it has good instrumentation and a fun vibe, the song was very short and forgettable.

Track six, “Celebrate!” feels very reminiscent of Joe Jonas’ other band, DNCE, and gave strong “Cake By the Ocean” vibes. The song immediately sets a good rhythm and beat and is one of the first times that I noticed the Jonas Brothers sounded really good. The song is very energetic and the chorus was the best part of the song. While the song is too short, it’s one of the best songs on the album. Track seven, “Waffle House,” is another of my favorite tracks. The opening had some electronic vibes and the entire song had a strong, fast-paced beat. The instrumentation and production are fantastic, but the track felt very similar to some of the other songs, especially “Celebrate!”

Track eight, “Vacation Eyes,” was a bit slower than the other songs but still had plenty of songs. I could hear those R&B inspirations again, and the instrumentation was not only good but the most remarkable part of the track. However, this is the second time I’ve reviewed an album and asked myself: why is there a harmonica solo? If I had a quarter for every time an album had a weirdly-done harmonica solo, I’d have two quarters. That isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. Overall, the song was just mediocre and didn’t stand out amongst better tracks.

Track nine, “Summer In The Hamptons,” had a good opening and right from the start had a great beat and rhythm. The song picked up energy as it continued and the track had a hot, summery vibe. The chorus was the best part of the song and had strong beach vibes. While better than the last track, it was too short. Track 10, “Summer Baby,” was similar to other tracks on the album in that there wasn’t anything that great about it. While the instrumentation, production, and beat were fine, there isn’t much to say about this song. It blends in just like “Americana.”

Track 11, “Little Bird,” is the first and only mostly-acoustic song on the album. While done well (the instrumentation and rhythm are good), it’s overall just fine. The album ended with “Walls” featuring Jon Bellion. The instrumentation was much more dramatic than the other songs and started out with a lower level of energy than the other songs. The chorus is good and allows the guitars to shine. Jon Bellion sounds good and makes for a good feature, although he’s a bit hard to distinguish among the brothers. The second half of the song had a lot of energy that I heavily enjoyed. The song’s instrumentation and production are amazing and made this song sound and feel very impressive. “Walls” showcased all the good qualities of the other tracks and was a good way to close the album.

The Album by the Jonas Brothers is a strong pop album that had a lot of energy and was overall enjoyable. However, the songwriting and ideas and inspirations for each song felt pretty unoriginal, many songs were very short, and some of the songs felt repetitive by the end of each. Notably, the Jonas Brothers’ singing was nowhere near one of the best parts of the album. They easily get overshadowed by every other element of each song. The Album still had a lot of good things to say about it and received 8/10 pomegranate seeds. It’s the perfect album for the summer and is worth a listen for any Jonas Brothers fans.