Media Review

Jonezetta

Popularity (CD)

Tooth And Nail
website | mySpace | pureVolume

Overall Rating:

9.0

Music Quality: 9.0

Production: 10.0

Originality: 8.0

The first time “Communicate” came to my attention, I knew this band was for real. I waited, hunched in anticipation—hearing rumors of mega production efforts, I saw the enormous, expansive list of instruments the band was tracking, and I was reeling with excitement. The hooks on their 4 song EP were as infectious as anything else I had heard in months, and their style, while dancey and certainly influenced by 80’s new wave, was certainly their own.

I often do this to myself—I build something up and get intensely excited for it, hoping it will lead up to my expectations. Jonezetta’s Tooth And Nail debut did just that. Every song seems to have a deep rooted anthem, whether it be from a simple guitar lead that pops its head in the door now and then, a synthesized progression of notes, or a vocal hook that is repeated throughout the song. The band’s use of dancey, beat-driven rock and intensely infectious vocal hooks is truly unordinary—almost every song is wonderfully exciting and energetic. Even the slower moments on the record, whether it be the almost Jimmy Eat World like “The City We Live In” or the song-long crescendo on “Imagination” are undeniably exciting. In fact, almost all of the tracks exhibit concentrated, passionate vocals and guitar hooks aside from the cheesy title track, “Popularity,” which chants, “Popularity, do you think it’s scary? Everybody’s talking with their own opinions…”

The production efforts on this record, as can be expected with any Tooth And Nail artist these days, are strong and magnificent. Vocally, the record couldn’t be much better, with several parts in each song displaying textured harmonies—and the guitars/drums also have a similar punch to them on all the tracks. This might concern those of us (hopefully all of us) who generally want to see a band live after we’ve heard the CD—but fear not, because this singer can certainly hold his own on the live setting. There might be a bit of pro-tools magic here (no vocals could ever sound this good without a little magic) but after witnessing the band on two occasions I have nothing but complete faith and satisfaction with the insane production on this record.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover—the cover of “Popularity” is more than a little…well, cheesy—but Jonezetta’s debut sounds huge and so jam-packed with memorable choruses and hooks that you can’t get sick of it.

reviewed by Andrew Martin