The world famous pop band, the Jonas Brothers, recently made a comeback after being broken up for nearly five years. On June 7, 2019, they released their fifth studio album, Happiness Begins.
If you know me at all, which some of you do, some of you don't, you will know I was a hardcore Jonas Brothers fanatic growing up. I do apologize greatly to anyone who knew me in my teens, as you more than likely heard way too much about these boys. Once a fangirl, always a fangirl, I suppose. I got extremely excited upon their announcement, but I must say I've had my reservations regarding the new album. I am not the biggest fan of modern age pop, though I try to keep an open minded. Deep in my heart though, these are my boys and will always be my boys. So reservations aside, of course I pre-ordered the album. Originally I did plan on writing this review the day of its release, but being an adult got in the way and I unfortunately did not get a chance to do so. This is the first Jonas Brothers album since 2007 that I have not heard on the day of its release. I didn't forget that fact once, just really wanted to sit down and dedicate the time to the album it deserves. Oh no, my fangirl is showing again. Pardon her, old habits die hard, don't you know? Happiness Begins has a very obvious theme, of well, happiness. But also love, as all three of the Jonas Brothers are all now married, and this album was heavily inspired by their journeys to get to this point. I'm not going to lie though, and this is extremely foreign for me, but I really wasn't that into this album. I can't make up my mind if its because its just so far from my usual style these days, or if I'm just not in the right head space for lovey-dovey stuff right now. I genuinely don't know, but I am feeling a bit disappointed. A lot of it felt very generic to me, and even musically didn't hold my attention. I found myself resisting to press the skip button repeatedly through out the album, which is something I would have never expected to happen. None of the songs felt like they had a lot of depth to me, and again, that could very well be my head space right now. So maybe I picked a poor time to do a review of the album, I just really wanted a raw reaction for it. Your head space makes a big different in the music you're drawn to, we all know that, and right now lovey-dovey stuff is about the opposite of what I've been feeling. I can't just leave this review open ended though, and I can't say its bad. Its clearly thought out, just isn't speaking with me. I didn't find myself questioning the meanings, or what even inspired most of the songs. A couple did cause that, but I only had a handful to say about one, and that is "Strangers." "Strangers", I solidly believe is an older song that they had not previously released. Because it has a vibe that is not featured at all on this album, but was featured on their previous album Lines, Vines and Trying Times. That one is still all sweet and romantic, and describes that feeling when you just meet someone but click with them instantly. "I just saw the lightning strike. Knew it right then when I looked in your eyes. And I said to myself, 'It's no surprise we ain't strangers'. Strangers tonight. Must be from a different life. Been here before and it just feels right." I genuinely actually like this one. As I mentioned, there were a couple other songs, but honestly the only reason it stood out was because it felt very topical to some stuff going on currently in my life. I'd go into details, but this is about the Jonas Brothers, not me airing out my dirty laundry, so I would rather opt out of that. I will say the other song is, "Used to Be", which was clearly written post-break up, and is all about reflection on the relationship. You still care despite the changes, but in the end, someone else's demons can exhaust you and sometimes you cannot help that. Due to the topic, it is highly different to honestly anything they have ever written. Over all, I'm a bit disappointed with this album, I was expecting a lot of depth, and emotion behind the lyrics, and honestly don't feel my expectations were met. If you felt differently, or even if you agreed with me, I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts. You can get Happiness Begins wherever music is sold, as well as see them live on tour starting on June 13, so just two days a way from the time this was posted. Tickets are on sale now, you can hit up their website for more details. I also highly recommend their documentary, Chasing Happiness that is on Amazon Prime video. Even if you're not a fan, I do sincerely think its worth a watch. I'm curious to see what else they might bring out in the future, but unfortunately, this former fangirl was a bit disappointed. I might revisit it one day when I'm in a different mindset, but for now, that's how I feel.
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InformationAll reviews have the date they were written, the album title, and the band's name, with the exception of Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace and Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin. Those dates were guessed at, as they were written well before the website began. Archives
February 2022
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