Who I Am By Nick Jonas And The Administration

For every reason you might be able to think of as to why the Jonas Brothers are one-trick boy banders, I bet I can think of two more as to why they’re masters of their craft. Well, perhaps Kevin and Joe take more of a sidekick seat in this debate and we’ll just talk about Nick.

For a 17-year-old, his musical prowess is amazing and with each album he and his brothers – or now he and his new band, Nick Jonas & The Administration release – he keeps building up his repertoire and bringing new influences to the table.

Jonas says he had written five or six songs that weren’t necessarily right for the Jonas Brothers, but he thought he could use them for something else, so this led him to form a side project – The Administration. After listening to the new band’s debut CD, Who I Am, you might think that the side project feels a bit redundant and the JoBros could have pulled this off, and it’s true – on their last CD, the trio showed remarkable musical growth and promise and you get the feeling that this could easily have been their next CD. But hey, Nick’s a child prodigy – if he wants to form a side project, who are we to stop him…?

Who I Am shows a remarkable musical range and growth from Jonas’s pop of previous years. The first single and title track off the album is the most radio-friendly pop song on there, perhaps to ease fans into the new sound, but this vibe soon fades away when electric rock tracks like “Conspiracy Theory,” with it’s heavy guitar, and “Last Time Around,” with its echoing backbeat, wipe the floor with it.

Jonas also explores a lot of soul rhythms on the album – “State Of Emergency” is a smooth, sultry tune that’ll slide right into your mind and “Olive And An Arrow” has rough vocals that’ll make most fans swoon and a searing lead blues guitar that jumps in at all the right moments.

Admittedly, if you never liked the Jonas Brothers, you’re not even going to give this album a chance, but if ever there was a doubt in your mind, listen up now! There may be a few uncharismatic ballads here and there, but don’t hold that against The Administration, skip them and just appreciate the rest of the record.