With the Jonas Brothers concert around the corner, we have to acknowledge the in between sessions of their careers after they broke up. Kevin went on to do a reality TV show, and Joe ended up doing a solo album and DNCE later. Nick started off making another backing band. The sound does not vary much from the original Jonas Brothers sound at all, making it the most enjoyable of the solo releases to me. I have not enjoyed any of Nick's major solo work since this...
The album begins with "Rose Garden", a solid pop/rock based track. I liked the lyrics to this one, telling the story of a girl who has struggled from the get go from an absent father. How this struggle has shaped her, and also how it kept people from getting too close.
Track 2 is the lead single you may have heard, "Who I Am." It resonates pretty easily as everyone wants to be seen and loved for who they are. However, I find it a weaker track in the whole of the album.
"Olive & An Arrow" doesn't grab me as much. He leans more into the soul sound he would shift to more in his pop career. I don't think it fits his voice at all, not then and not now either.
"Conspiracy Theory" does not stand out lyrically, but I liked how he leaned way more into the rock side for this one. His voice has the ability to get the right amount of grit in it to make this work. Hearing Nick Jonas do rocker screams is entertaining in itself.
I love the guitar ballad work for "In the End". It is almost bluesy in places and the track sucks you in emotionally. One of the strongest tracks on the album.
"Last Time Around" isn't too bad. I am not a big fan of the backing vocals on it. Musically makes me think a bit of Gavin Degraw's hit. I like his vocal work on it.
"Tonight" is a good pop/rock love song of working everything out and keeping a hold on good love.
"State of Emergency" goes back into a mix of the heavier rock and some of the soulful mixes. I still don't feel his voice fits it perfectly, but I enjoy the lyricism of it which keeps me coming back to it.
"Vesper's Goodbye" is a beautiful ballad track, which is really what Nick in the olden days did best.
The album closes with "Stronger (Back on the Ground)", which some of the backing vocals on this take away from the track itself. But lyrically, it has a good simplistic message: you get stronger when you take a few falls.
Lyrics: 6/10 - Not bad, but nothing stand out from the crowd either.
Music: 5/10 - At best it was fitting and special, other times the experimental choices took away from the songs themselves.
Overall: 6/10. A solid solo debut that showed potential, but did not mark him as anything special as of yet.
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