Most pop singers are jumping on the super uptempo, European-flavored dance bandwagon. Not Joe Jonas.
Instead, he's trying to ride the contemporary R&B train. He recruited hit songwriters and producers, from Danja to Brian Kennedy to LaShawn Daniels, for his solo debut. There are also assists from Rob Knox and James Fauntleroy, two-thirds of the production group The Y's; Justin Timberlake rounds out the trio. Oh, and Chris Brown co-wrote and co-produced two songs, and Lil Wayne appears on a remix.
It seems like Jonas took all the right steps to making a decent album. Too bad the result is poor.
Overall, "Fastlife" is lifeless. Vocally, the 22-year-old Jonas is boring: He lacks energy when he sings, and even he doesn't seem interested in what he's singing about. Lyrically, the former boyfriend to Taylor Swift (and Demi Lovato, and Ashley Greene, and Camilla Belle) is mainly singing about the downside of relationships. And sonically, most of the songs play like Timberlake and Brown leftovers. Jonas doesn't add much to the mediocre tracks throughout the album, and on some songs he even sounds robotic.
Try again.
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Throughout "Fastlife" Jonas is a vocal disappointment, but his best effort is on the groove "Sorry."