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Twelve years old?!?!?  Nicholas Jonas will soon be one of those celebrities you will see everywhere.  At the age of 12, he has starred in four Broadway musicals, made numerous TV appearances, started a charitable foundation for abused children, and sung before a United Nations conference on world healing.  Not only that, but he has released his first album, on which he wrote or co-wrote eight of the eleven songs.

Jonas has drawn comparisons to Stevie Wonder, and the song “Crazy Kind of Crush” adds to the force of that comparison.  Quite a bit of the album has a '70’s Motown sound at times.  What is interesting is that he can carry a part normally designed for a female r&b singer, due obviously to his youth. “Appreciate” is the prime example of this, where Jonas’ vocals begin in a Tori Amos range, then head headlong into Mary J. Blige territory.

The cover tunes here will ensure Jonas’s success on mainstream radio as well.  “Higher Love” (Steve Winwood) holds up fairly well, while the XTC song “Dear God” receives a few lyrical changes, and transforms from '90’s alternative rock to '70’s rhythm and blues.

Nicholas Jonas is one of a very rare type of artist: even if you aren’t a fan of his musical style, it is impossible to ignore his talent.  I would be extremely surprised if he is not hugely successful in his musical career.

Brian A. Smith
30 January 2005