Who I Am

Nick Jonas rules the Jonas Brothers with such authority he's called the president within the JoBro inner circle, so stepping out on his own backed by the Administration (clever name there) isn't a question of stifled creativity, it's a statement of ambition. A close listen to the Brothers' 2009 album Lines, Vines and Trying Times indicates exactly what that ambition would be: to sound like Steve Winwood backed by the New Power Generation, and that's exactly what Nick achieves on 2010's Who I Am. Immaculately manicured and impeccably clean, Who I Am alternates between slow soul ballads and vamps that run in place, always providing evidence of Jonas' by-the-books good taste and studious sincerity. When he kicks up the clavinets on "State of Emergency," it's clear that he intends to evoke prime Stevie Wonder, just like how the smooth groove of "Rose Garden" is a nod to Prince. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine