Fastlife

Artist: Joe Jonas

Stars: 2.5/5

Joe Jonas’ new solo album Fastlife, released Oct. 11, is the kind of album that has to grow on you.

I have to admit, even as a die-hard Jonas Brothers fan, I wasn’t expecting much out of this brother’s solo album after the disappointment of Nick Jonas and the Administration’s Who I Am. Nick tried to find a more musically-sophisticated, acoustic sound, but after having existed under the bubblegum, cookie-cutter pop label for so long, the songs just fell flat in the eyes of his fans.

On the other hand, Joe promised a fun, fizzy-pop kind of CD that people could dance to, and that’s what we got. His first single of the album “See No More” is easy to listen to and easy to belt out when suffering from a major case of heartache, and songs like “Fastlife” and “Kleptomaniac,” although awkward when it comes to the amount of autotuned techno effects in them, are good for those who just want a song they can jam out to in the car while waiting at the stoplight.

However, his attempt at a slow ballad with “Lighthouse” was not my favorite. I’m sorry, but I just find it ironic that two former Disney stars have just released songs talking about how they feel like large buildings (although I will always give mad props to Demi Lovato and her “Skyscraper”). I skip past that track to end on the last one — “Just in Love” featuring Lil Wayne. When I first heard him rapping about “and she look like a butterfly/smell like a flower” I almost died from the shock. No matter how many times I listen to it, I still can’t get used to the image of Lil Wayne talking about girls with lyrics that are about as hardcore as nursery rhymes.

Overall, Fastlife wasn’t anything too special. It just goes to show that you can take the brother out of the band…but the inherited skills aren’t necessarily going to follow.