A Family-Love-Filled Work of Art (Jonas Brothers Greetings From Your Hometown Deluxe Album Review)
Written By: Giulia Campora
Taking a trip down homeland lane, the famous brother trio Jonas Brothers has released an album that brings their fans, Jonatics, into their own childhood memories. The album is titled Greetings From Your Hometown.
The album begins with the powerful yet catchy single I Can’t Lose. In this song, written by Joe, Nick, and Kevin, the brothers tell fans how good it feels to have the people they care about the most in their lives. They express that they can’t lose when surrounded by those loved ones: “you give me everything, everything that I need, everything that I need to keep smiling through.”
The second track is Tables. Here, the brothers speak out in a fun way about the public scrutiny they face daily. They take it comically, trying not to let it ruin their lives: “Well, they talk the sh— that came from their lips/Well, it's so much easier from your fingertips/I guess everybody's tryna prove that they exist/Maybe we should start again and turn the tables around.”
The journey continues with the first single of the album, Love Me To Heaven. In this joyous pop track, the brothers explain how much they value the love of their girl, something that feels heavenly: “Could give me everything, but it ain't enough/You can't put a price on the human touch/I could be down, but you love me to Heaven.”
The fourth track is the third single, No Time To Talk. In it, the brothers sample the tune and background music from the famous 1977 hit Stayin' Alive, originally released by the Bee Gees. The song captures the moment of falling in love at first sight with a girl dancing at a bar. The message is to live in the moment instead of making small talk: “'Cause I can tell by the way you use your walk that you came to dance, no time to talk/Turnin' up with all your friends, you came to dance around the clock.”
The fifth track, Backwards, is a retro pop-style song. Here, the brothers reflect on a relationship that did not work out, leaving them nostalgic: “I've been in my bed/Spending every second wishing you were lying on my chest/Say I'm moving on, but I keep going backwards.”
The next two tracks are collaborations that mean a lot to the Jonas Brothers. The first is Loved You Better, featuring Dean Lewis, whom Joe Jonas personally reached out to. This melancholic ballad highlights the heartbreak and realization of mistakes after a messy breakup: “I should have loved you better/But I couldn't even love myself/Said that we're in this together/Then I didn't even try to help.”
The second collaboration is with Switchfoot, a group the brothers admired as teens. The song Greetings From Your Hometown lends its title to the album and delivers a message about not being stuck in the past but instead living in the present with all of its ups and downs: “Greetings from your hometown/Bringing back what I found.”
Track eight is the soft ballad When You Know. In this song, the brothers showcase their harmonies, expressing hope that the girl they love feels the same way: “I hope you feel the same/When you know, you know, you know/I know it's you.”
The ninth track, Heat Of The Moment, describes the rush and thrill of having a crush: “Yeah, I know you're scared/But I'm right there too/I wouldn't walk away.” The satisfying ending highlights the brothers’ wonderful harmonies.
Next is the fan-favorite Bully. Here, the brothers describe how much they enjoy being bossed around by the girl they like: “You can be a bully sometimes/You know exactly what I like, yeah/Call the shots and play with my mind/It gets me going every time, yeah.”
Another fan favorite, Waste My Time, is a funky pop track where the brothers express how much they want to get physical with the girl they desire and not waste time on meaningless interactions: “Every night when I'm coming home/Red lace, you're all alone, oh, I want you.”
The twelfth song, Lucky, is an emotional acoustic ballad. The brothers dedicate it to their kids, confessing how hard it is to be away because of their hectic schedules: “Can't catch the tears from your eyes/Daddy might not make it home every night/I'm always with you, no matter how far/Don't you forget just how lucky you are.”
The thirteenth song, Mirror To The Sky, returns to an upbeat sound, comparing the beauty of a girl’s eyes to a mirror in the sky: “Portraits of oceans is a moment in your eyes/Poetry talking when the words leave your mouth.”
The next track is their second collaboration with DJ Marshmello, SlowMotion. This pop and EDM-inspired song quickly became a fan favorite. The brothers sing about taking things slowly so that the relationship can last: “She don't need a guy to buy a bottle/Just someone to spend a little time/Baby, I can promise I'll still be here by tomorrow/But I can't give you all of me tonight.”
The second-to-last track is a deluxe edition exclusive titled Tantrum. In this playful song, the brothers admit they would throw a tantrum if their dream girl broke up with them: “Don't you go or I'll throw a tantrum/I'll hold every heartbeat for ransom/Baby, oh, no, you know I go psycho/Don't you go or I'll throw a tantrum.”
The final track is an acoustic version of Love Me To Heaven, a gift to fans that showcases the brothers’ phenomenal vocals.
This album has quickly become one of my favorites in the Jonas Brothers’ discography. It showcases their maturity as songwriters and artists, while effortlessly bringing nostalgia to listeners. The group is currently on tour, with many famous guests appearing at shows, including Demi Lovato at opening night in MetLife Stadium, All Time Low, Alessia Cara, and more. It is absolutely worth attending at least one date, as each concert is made into a memorable experience.
