Heyo! Happy Wednesday! This week, I thought why not focus on a brand-new album released by one of my favorite artists.
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| Nick Jonas |
Of course I am talking about Nick Jonas's new album, Sunday Best, which released this past weekend. If you're new here, I am a BIG Jonas Brothers fan. Know to call myself a Kevin coded Joe girl with a PhD in Nick's filmography and Franklin's biggest fan. I adore all four brothers with my whole heart and have been following their careers for the past twenty years.
Despite being a Joe girl, I am a big fan of Nick's solo music. I do not partake in ASMR, but I imagine the "tingles" is exactly what Nick's voice does to my brain. He is so incredibly talented. I absolutely love this album and will inevitably ramble about how much I enjoy each song in this post. No apologies.
Disclaimer: I am not a music critique. Just someone who enjoys listening to music and writing about it. So, this post is just going to be me rambling about what I enjoyed about the album.
1. "Sweet to Me"
It's giving "Jersey" and From Your Hometown with a twinge of The Album vibes. I love the sound of the acoustic guitar. It's got a very sentimental feel to it. I love when he starts vocalizing. The things this man can do with his voice is insane. The tone and sound of his voice capture me even when he's not even trying. Also let's shout out that choir at the end. Our boy sure does sound good when backed by a choir. I do want to turn his "ba-da-da-dum-dum" into the text tone for my phone. It's just so lovely. The beginning of the song is a memory and then he compares the "sweet" memories to being in love. He is cherishing the woman he loves like he cherishes those memories. I need to point out that he made a nod to one of my favorite Nick memes. Unsure if it was on purpose or just by chance.
When I first got into the Jonas Brothers 20 years ago, Nick was thirteen turning fourteen. Practically a baby - I say as if I wasn't nine. With that being said, it still blows me away that he is married and a dad. I knew about this song before the album was released and finally getting to listen to it makes my heart happy. This song is about how he wishes he could slow down time to spend more with his daughter, Malti Marie. He very much conveys how much he relishes being a father. He's been really open about parenthood and spoken about his favorite parts and some of his struggles. I love the lines "We could get there faster if we took a car / So we don't," because it demonstrates how precious every moment with his daughter is. He doesn't take advantage of his time with her. Every moment is special to him. It's a very sweet song. We love a girl dad. The strings in this song are beautiful. It's a perfect song for father-daughter dances at weddings.
3. "I Need You"
We knew Nick was taking us to church with this album, and he sure did. This track is a beautiful gospel tune where his vocals shine through with the support of the simple piano and the gorgeous choir. This is what I imagine heaven sounds like. It's another gorgeous love song. We love a man who is completely consumed by his love for his wife. I think if I was married to Priyanka Chopra Jonas, I'd also write love songs for her. This song gives praise and worship at church. Between Nick's vocals, the piano, and the choir it is angelic. He sings about the love he has for his wife and how much he needs her, even saying "she's proof of Heaven". I love the religious themes of this album without making it a flat-out religious album. He has executed it so well.
4. "You Got Me"
Another beautiful love song because the man is rightfully obsessed and in love with his wife. As we all are. He appreciates how she has become his safe place, singing "Look at what we found, don't know where or how / So much safer now" and later on sings, "They were parts of me I thought no one else would ever see / But you got me". He is unafraid to be himself with her. He feels safe with her. And they fit together perfectly. The song demonstrates that he is in absolute awe of her. It's so sweet and makes my heart so happy that he's found a love like that.
5. "Gut Punch"
I LOVE THIS SONG WITH MY WHOLE HEART! Man had it stuck in my head months before he finally gave it to us. If you haven't seen the music video, give it a watch. You will always be famous, Jick Nonas. This song is near and dear to my heart because I also deal with anxiety and negative self-talk. It's actually something I've been working on in therapy and something the Jonas Brothers have helped me with. It's a song about self-compassion which is something we ALL need. My dad always said "you're your biggest critic" and it is true. It's easier to be mean to yourself than to say something positive. Nick is so vulnerable in this song, but I am so grateful to him for trusting us with it. So, thank you, Nick. Can we please get you on The Muppet Show now that it's back?
6. "Hope"
As of writing this post, this is my favorite song off the album. In this song, he speaks directly to God. If you're unfamiliar with the story, Nick and his brothers were raised Pentecostal. Their father was the pastor of a church, and they often sang at church. They ended up getting ousted from the church due to the Jonas Brothers making secular music. It's a whole thing that they get into in their documentary, Chasing Happiness. I only bring up this context, so you better understand the song. He starts explaining that his soul was on fire when he was a kid, but as time progressed, he finds his faith waning and he is reaching out to God for some hope and some proof. I know this song might rub some people the wrong way, but as some who also grew up in church and has been having a question of faith, I appreciate how real it is. Besides that, the song sounds amazing even without picking apart the lyrics, the lyrics make me feel seen. My family is still religious and still attends church and reads the Bible and that's what I was raised on, but I don't agree with their agendas behind their beliefs. So, it's nice to know I'm not the only one battling my faith. With this song he was able to articulate what I have struggled explaining for the past eleven years. Hilariously, two years ago I joked to my mom that the only people who could get me to go back to church is Joe Jonas, but who knows maybe it's Nick.
New drinking game: take a drink every time Nick Jonas is obsessed with Priyanka. This track has a GREAT sound that compliments his voice very well. He sings about how being in love his almost supernatural and even "metaphysical". It does continue with the themes of the album, except this time it's more of a spiritual experience. I absolutely love this song. It's definitely a bop that'll get you moving. The man is so down bad for his wife, and I respect it because I am too. "Take my soul out of my body for you, I do so much more than most" can be interpreted in different ways whether it's romantically, spiritually, or sexually. Either way man got the lovebug, but does not need a cure.
8. "Aphrodite"
The vibes of this track are immaculate. I'd say it feels reminiscent of Nick's last solo album, Spaceman. Yet another song about being down bad. This one we get more of Nick vocalizing which is ALWAYS a great time. Man has more talent in a fingernail than I will EVER have in a million years and that is why I will never shut up about him. The lyrics tell a story of perhaps someone becoming smitten that they are willing to pay the price to be with the person they desire. He compares her to Aphrodite. It's a very chill song compared to the tracks before. It's probably his weakest song on the album, but that's not saying much because it's still a great song.
I remember when he posted a clip from this song and I was HYPED! I believe that's how he first teased this album. It was probably last year or 2024, but it feels like forever ago. It's giving independent artist on SoundCloud. We have another contender for my text tone in his "wee-ooh-wee-ooh". Another track with a chill vibe musically, despite the lyrics being about heartbreak. It's giving his brother, Joe's song "Heart By Heart" with the feeling of the person you love moving on with someone new. I really enjoy this song and it's reminiscent of his R&B days which he's moved away from, but he will never shake it completely. His voice in this song truly scratches my brain. We need to talk about the guitars in this song. Anytime a Jonas releases a song with some rock influences, I am happy. Will forever be waiting for the return of the pop-punk Jonas Brothers.
10. "The Greatest (ft. Jonas Brothers)"
As the resident Joe girl, OF COURSE I was hoped to have "Selfish" part two electric boogaloo. Loved Nick's collab with Jonas Brothers on Spaceman and loved this collab too. Anytime I get to hear new vocals from Joe, I am happy and he did not disappoint on this track. I love the opening piano plus the little instrumental moment between Nick and Joe's first verses. This one seems like another song about break up. They sing about how despite all the pain and heartbreak they've dealt with in the past, this one is "the greatest". I need to applaud the part where Joe sings in his lower register. We rarely get those moments, but I cherish them every single time. I love this song and it's a great addition to the Jonas Brothers discography.
11. "Princesses"
Why am I crying in the club? There is something so beautiful about the Jonas Brothers all being girl dads and I will never shut up about it. This song is so beautiful. It's another song about how much he loves being a father and how much he adores his little girl. The song is about how he wouldn't want to be anywhere else but playing princesses with her. He asks her to stay small and not to grow up. It's so sweet. It makes me so happy how much he adores his family and that he doesn't take any time with them for granted. He's been open about the difficulty with Malti Marie's delivery and I think that adds to why he cherishes every moment with her. I am dad Nick's biggest fan.
As I was finishing up this post, Nick decided to drop the deluxe version on Spotify with two new songs and a live version of "Gut Punch" the DAY before this is supposed to go live. So, here is my thoughts on the new songs because I already wrote about "Gut Punch" I don't have to write about the live version.
12. "London Foolishly"
The song starts with audio from an old video of Nick from when he was still a teenager, I believe. I don't think I ever saw the original video where he played this song or if he ever posted the video to the public, but hearing him from years ago made me nostalgic, even though I hadn't heard this song before. In the intro audio, he explains he wrote the song after not being able to sleep and that the song was inspired by the city of London. If you didn't know, Nick has spent his fair share of time in London as he performed in the West End production of Les Miserables in 2010, and also performed in the 25th anniversary concert at the O2 the same year. The way the lyrics are put together is reminiscent of how Nick wrote songs when he was younger. He could have released this song the exact way it is in 2010 and I would fit in with his discography at the time. It's a very mellow and pretty song. I understand why he left if off the album, but I am glad he included it in the deluxe version!
13. "While You're Gone"
Another great song with a great sound. This song feels like it could have been included on the original album, but for some reason he chose to save it for the deluxe, which I am NOT complaining about. Something about this song is making me thing of "Rose Garden" from Who I Am. It very well could have been a rejected song from that album. His voice is incredible, but we already knew that. It's a great pop track and is reminiscent of the pop I grew up with in the mid and late 2000s, however it is also fresh and new. I am very happy with this song and see myself listening to it a lot.
Overall, I absolutely love Sunday Best. If you haven't listened to it yet, I HIGHLY recommend giving it a listen. I think it's about time we finally recognize Nick for the incredibly talented songwriter and producer he is. He is not just another pretty popstar with a killer voice; he is so much more than that and needs to be celebrated for his talent.
This album very much displays his voice, songwriting, producing, and the love he has for his family and in my opinion is his best album to date.
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| Nick, Priyanka, and Malti Marie Chopra Jonas |
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