try this: nick jonas & the administration (who i am)

I've never heard a Jonas Brothers song in my life. But I guess one of them put out an album with another band. Nick Jonas said he wanted it to be kind of like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The Disney-fied teen has found a good sound with this album. Nothing really compares to the Boss, but I see where he's going with that comparison. Apparently, the Jonas Brothers group was initially supposed to be just Nick, solo. While I'm not a giant fan of his voice, this kid is 17 and cut this album in 8 days. I gotta say, he has lots of promise to grow as a songwriter. This fact made me pretty happy, as I wasn't expecting it.

Rose Garden - Sounds very much like a John Mayer song, with the wah pedaled-riffs and all. I do really like this one. Nick sounds like he's got to try a little bit harder than Mayer, but that's cause he probably does.

Who I Am - Man, more John Mayer-y stuff, but a little more pop structured. Still loving the vibe. Nick keeps it simple: "I want someone to love me, for who I am / I want someone to need me, is that so bad?" Well, that's how I felt when I was 17 too.

Olive & An Arrow - Super blues-y. Nick sounds older than his age on this one. A little falsetto goin on. Who is on guitar? They are rocking out.

Conspiracy Theory - Damn, Nick. Go for it. All-out hair band screams on this one.

In The End - Let's slow it down a bit. This ballad is a bit lackluster lyric-wise.

Last Time Around - Super catchy song in a usual filler spot.

Tonight - Cue teenage girls screaming. A slower, sentimental song that moves along well, but is definitely more pop than the rest of the songs.

State of Emergency - This is a song about how Nick has his pick of any chick on the planet. Pretty rad. At least he knows it. His voice has a great range in this one, and the main riff is addicting.

Vesper's Goodbye - Kinda boring. Kinda short. Kinda ok.

Stronger (Back On The Ground) - The background singers make this song a little more epic. Not strong lyrically, but a good closing track.

I'm glad that this shows what someone can do once they're freed from their teen pop ties. This album is labeled in the pop genre, but I'd classify it as (camp) rock. Rock out, Nick. I'm officially pleasantly surprised.