Remember the Jonas Brothers? The Disney trio who stole the hearts of every tween girl what feels like only days ago? Well, middle brother Joe Jonas has found his feet as an artist independent of his brothers and released his first solo album this past Tuesday. Reminiscent of Justin Timberlake breaking out of his shell post-N*SYNC, or Britney Spears crooning that “She’s not a girl, not yet a woman” when she was ready to shed her good girl image, Jonas’ new album ‘Fast Life’ is more club-friendly, fun, and without a doubt – more mature. A handful of well known writers and producers lent their talents to the album, with names you might recognize like Chris Brown, Danja (who produced numerous tracks for Britney Spears’ album Blackout), and Hit-Boy (who has produced for various artists like Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, and Jay-Z, among others). Jonas, himself, is credited with writing (in collaboration, of course) on all but three tracks on ‘Fast Life’.
This album has a feel different than any of his previous Jonas Brother albums. This is a group of songs you can turn on while getting ready to go out and I’m positive none of your girlfriends will have any idea you’re listening to a new and improved Jonas brother.
The album starts out strong with a smooth beat called All This Time. Anyone with a soft spot for pop music will have a hard time turning this tune off. It has all the elements us pop-fiends have come to know, love and expect: a bangin’ beat, lyrics about love, and let’s be real… a cute front-man any of us wouldn’t mind reachin’ out and grabbin’. (Hey, those are his words, not mine!)
Other highlights on Fast Life include Love Slayer, a track I can already hear starting the party off right on the dance floor. All about dancing the night away and being on your “worst behavior”, who could ask for more? Take It and Run follows much of the same pattern as the entirety of the album: Lyrics about love – check. Catchy hook – check. Gets your booty shakin’ – check. Predictable – sadly, check. Take It and Run is nothing entirely new to the album, or the pop genre in general, but it’s a new flavor for Jonas, and it displays his new look and image aside from the conservative, sugar-coated Jonas brother we once knew. Certain songs remind you that Jonas still has some growing up to do in terms of his music style, maybe most obvious in the song Make You Mine. The breakdown right around three minutes in sounds like something pulled directly from the High School Musical playbook.
The real stand-out track, hands down, is Just In Love. Nothing screams “JOE JONAS ISN’T A KID ANYMORE” more than this song. (Except for maybe the music video) I was actually pretty surprised to find out Justin Timberlake had nothing to do with this song, because it sounds like something straight out of his bag of magical music tricks. Fans of this song get a little treat, there is a second version that features Lil Wayne laying down something fierce – even lending a little credence to Jonas’ adulthood by dropping the F-bomb, and therefore requiring the album to be stamped with the infamous parental advisory logo – an easy, and undoubtedly strategic way for Jonas to have some hip/hop and adult cred, without actually having to say anything that would offend his younger fans or his Disney-owned Hollywood record label.
I think it’s safe to say that Joe Jonas has succeeded at branching out as a solo artist, and at least letting people know he’s capable of growing up and being something other than a squeaky clean Disney star. ‘Fast Life’ is a step in the right direction, and it’s definitely a good album to throw on when you just want to dance. Thanks to some talented folks in the music industry who helped him whip this CD together, and a solid fan base who is dying to get its hands on these hits, I think Jonas will be just fine wherever adulthood takes him next.