Nick Jonas, who makes up one third of the band the Jonas Brothers, released his first solo album in five years on Friday, titled “Sunday Best.”
This 11-track album is arguably Jonas’ most vulnerable by exploring aspects of his life such as marriage to Priyanka Chopra and becoming a father to his daughter Malti.
One of the best things about the album, aside from the songs, is the cover. The cover shows Jonas’ glucose monitor, emphasizing his challenge with type I diabetes, which he has had since he was 13.
“GUT PUNCH”
“Gut Punch” is arguably the most popular song on the album, with over 6 million Spotify streams already. Jonas released it as a single on New Year’s Day.
The song is about Jonas’s experience with his self worth and being extremely hard on himself. The main message is to encourage listeners to be kinder to themselves. Releasing this track at the start of the new year was a genius marketing move because being kinder to yourself is a New Year’s resolution for many.
As someone who is extremely hard on myself and tends to people please, this song really resonated with me, particularly the lyrics, “Hit me like a gut punch / I hurt my own feelings / How did I get so good at being mean to myself?”
The song starts softer but builds up in the chorus and throughout the rest of the song. Out of all the songs on the album, this is one you can scream in your car or at a concert.
“I NEED YOU”
This song is slowed down with a soft piano in the background. Paired with Jonas’ vocals and lyrics, it is extremely emotional.
This is a love song that emphasizes how you need your lover or soulmate in your life, making it a good potential wedding song.
The lyrics “I need you / You make me wish I was immortal / So I could spend a million more lives with you” emphasize just how heavy-hitting this song is. Jonas is expressing how much he loves his wife.
“THE GREATEST”
The only collaboration on this album is with the other Jonas brothers. While it would be cool to see a duet with someone outside of the band, the familial relationship added a special element as they would know all of the challenges he went through.
Joe Jonas’ voice in this song provides more emotion, depth and an extra perspective. However, this would have increased if Kevin Jonas sung as well. Although Kevin usually doesn’t sing, he can, as his debut single “Changing” showed.
This song represents heartbreak and how, even after heartbreak, the memories with that person still linger.
“PRINCESSES”
As the concluding song on the album, “Princesses” is a tribute to Jonas’s daughter Malti. The song details playing with his daughter and the theme of childhood, particularly joy and innocence. It focuses on wanting to stay in the moment forever and not wanting her to grow up, especially with the lyrics, “An’ can I ask you a favor? / Can you stay this small?”
This song was extremely heartfelt. It’s great for every girl-dad and daughter to hear. Listening to this song can bring back memories of spending time with your father as a child.
Some songs on this album weren’t as great, however, such as “Aphrodite” and “911.” Although the themes and inspiration behind them were good, they felt boring and the pacing was slow. In “911,” only the bridge really stood out.
Overall, I’d rank this album a 9/10. For it being Jonas’s first solo album in five years, I really enjoyed it. I also appreciated how vulnerable he was, because vulnerability is something that is important in music, and compared to his last album, the bravery shown here is really commendable.
