Disney’s favorite trio is back with a new album, “The Album,” which was released May 12. The Jonas Brothers have come back together after their release of “Happiness Begins” in 2019. It was an unexpected album with surprising lyrics and instrumentals, but overall it exceeded my expectations.

The album has 12 songs, which evolve as the album continues. It tells a story of their adulthood and growing out of their Disney youth. It features some new elements that weren’t present in their past music, such as the change in style of lyrics and switching up their instrumentals.

The first thing that stood out to me in “The Album” is their lyrics. The lyrics we all know and love from the Jonas Brothers are the classic Disney love songs that we hear in “Camp Rock” or “Jonas Brothers.” However, you can tell that they’ve moved past this, as the lyrics are more authentic and raw. They shifted their use of language to a whole new level that I never expected. There is amazing figurative language that helps you understand what they are trying to portray. For example in the song “Little Bird,” one of the opening lines is “I could cry, got your mother’s kind eyes.” This line is a massive upgrade from “Raise your hands up in the air and scream” from “We Rock.” It shows real feeling and authenticity which we’ve never seen from the Jonas Brothers before. 

Another thing that surprised me when listening to “The Album” was the instrumentals and tone they chose to use. If you think of a stereotypical Jonas Brothers song you would think of something that is strong on the guitar and has a very “poppy” feel. However, they shifted things up in this album. In the song “Celebrate!” you can hear a choir in the background that carries the entire song. I was not expecting to hear a new collaboration in the song but it pleasantly surprised me. Once I heard the choir it raised my expectations for the rest of the album. Not only did they use a choir but in the last three songs of the album they got a lot more folky and calm which was an unexpected surprise. From “Vacation Eyes” to “Walls,” I felt the vibe shift into something really heartfelt and earnest. It was really nice to hear the storyline of the album shift into something more down to earth than a Disney pop song.

Sadly, “The Album” did have a few faults. One of the most disappointing songs is “Walls.” I really enjoyed the beginning of the song where it was slower and calm, but out of nowhere it got really intense and almost like a rock song. It didn’t fit the vibe of the lyrics or the calm conclusion of the album. If an acoustic version ever released, I believe it would be much better. It was a disappointing shift in direction that I wasn’t expecting. This discouraging change in direction not only happened in “Walls,” but it also happened in “Miracle.” Considering “Miracle” is the first song of the album, I was ready for a strong start but it gave me the opposite — it felt like Disney all over again. Joe’s voice was very nasally and whiney when I was ready for a strong and raw voice. The guitar was strong and the vocals were there, but it wasn’t anything special. 

Overall, it was a surprising album full of new concepts that I enjoyed. From new, fresh lyrics to the choir, it was a strong album that I enjoyed listening to. There were a few faults that interfered with my enjoyment, but as one album it was charming and lively. They took what they knew best and created something that is more authentic than they’ve ever created before. 

“The Album:” ★★★☆☆