(Magazine) Feature Article -Review

Cruel To Be Young by Jonezetta

Music is a pastime that I find most enjoyable. It is something that can sway emotions, and change the way we live our lives. Music is something that should improve upon the silence of the world, giving it new ideas or thoughts, among other things. Good music to me comes in two forms, one that can capture emotions in lyric and expressing it through melody, or something that is experimental, doing something completely new and inspirational. The album that I will be critiquing this week is Jonezetta’s new album Cruel To Be Young, which was released on September 16th of this year. I will go through this album’s eleven tracks, describe what it sounds like, and then give a critique of the song.

Wide Awake- First and foremost I would like to say that this new album is a true contrast to their past album, one that was full of poppy, electric choruses. This song shows us this right off the start. With its eclectic guitars in full tilt, and its undertones of synthesized notes, this song musically, is very strong. This piece has structure similar, with its group choruses that are remnant of its past album ‘Popularity’. Overall, this is a good song to start an album with.
Music 4/5 Lyrics 4/5 Overall 4/5

Holding Onto You- This selection starts with a piano mixed with guitars that could remind you of Coldplay in the Wild West era. After a short start with this, the song goes into full blaze with its roaring chorus. The ‘Woahs’ coming right after the chorus remind me of ‘Popularity’ once again, but this time in a more mature way. The guitar solo near the end of the song, may not get people out of their seats, but it does the job, and ends on an emotional high.
Music 5/5 Lyrics 4/5 Overall 4.5/5

Busy Body- This song is about as close as Jonezetta gets to its previous album. While the three previous songs have reminded me of their past album, this similarity came in structure and not as much in tone. This song starts with somewhat surf-rock guitar, that blows again once into full chorus. The drums sometimes sound as though they are waves. This adds to the surf-rock feeling. The organ in the background definitely adds a twist.
Music 5/5 Lyrics 3/5 Overall 4/5

Paint and Picture- Jonezetta takes on a new musical direction in ‘Paint and Picture’. This piece sounds something similar to what Coldplay could have done, like Holding Onto You. Although it does not have a roaring chorus, the song contains itself instead. Its ‘Johnny-Cash’ guitar style during the chorus adds a great sound. The pounding drums are the only thing that takes the Coldplay feeling away from it. This song is lyrically very strong, and although it is very experimental, this experiment was a success.
Music 5/5 Lyrics 4.5/5 Overall 4.5/5

Sick In the Teeth- The beginning, sounds like a vast collage of different songs, it adds to the chaos of the piece. Its consistent snare drums and the guitars that keep doing arpeggios followed by a wailing cry during the chorus make this song the most musically talented on the album. The chaos at the beginning continues in random points, which makes it sound very experimental. Just like Paint and Picture, its experimentation works very well.
Music 5/5 Lyrics 5/5 Overall 5/5

Cruel to be Young- This song starts with a synthesizer in the background that could remind you of Numb by Linkin Park. During this song it quickly rises to its chorus with its echoing group vocals. The smashing drums and its airy, 80’s sounding guitars make it sound like it captivates every era of music from the past 50 years. Cruel to be Young, along with Sick in the Teeth is the highlight of the album. The 40’s sounding tune at the end definitely makes it fun to listen to, as well.
Music 5/5 Lyrics 5/5 Overall 5/5

Fur Coat (Roaming Like Animals) - With its acoustic guitar, and its wind pipe sounding synthesizer in the background, Fur Coat is the most experimental thing Jonezetta has ever done. Unlike its other experimental songs that work well on the album, this one kind of was a let-down; it has no real high point or climax. Lyrically it is strong, but without a real chorus, it’s something you can’t get attached to, and could be easily forgotten.
Music 1.5/5 Lyrics 4/5 Overall 2.5/5

Valentine –Valentine starts with some soft piano and synthesizer and then immediately smashes into full power. It has some true lyrics that make it very strong lyrically, such as the line, ‘So hard to recognize, bad habits, when they arrive’. Its cooing chorus of helplessness, and its pounding drums and roaring guitar make this another gem of the album.
Music 4/5 Lyrics 4/5 Overall 4/5

Untitled- This cannot really be classified as a song, as there are no lyrics to it, and is just an amplifier sounding like its being turned up. I found this a disappointment as I thought Jonezetta should have filled it with another song instead of wasting time on the album.
Music 1/5 Lyrics 0/5 Overall 0/5

The Queen City Song- Queen City, with its harpsichord, mixed with synthesizers, starts off well. With its roaring bass, and its squealing guitar, and synthesizer throughout, it makes this another strong point of the album.
Music- 5/5 Lyrics- 5/5 Overall 5/5

I Watched You From Outside Your Window- The final song on the album ends on kind of a low point. The slow accordion to start, and then the organ that comes booming in, sound like something that could be heard in a church. The piano and acoustic guitar that replaces them at the end sound like the song could be going somewhere good, but instead it ends. There is a long silence following this, and at the end there is a found sounding mix of piano, guitar, bass and whistling, which finally end the album on a high note.
Music 3/5 Lyrics 3/5 Overall 3/5

Overall, this album is a great. It is a must have for a true music lover. Although it does not have the electric guitar of the first album, someone who is looking for a vast collection of instruments, and experimentation with many roaring choruses, will find enjoyment in this album. This album probably won’t garner much attention from the mainstream, and that’s sad, because this is a great album and it should be recognized. In a time where Katy Perry or Lady Gaga rule the charts, and the lack of talent is apparent in the major label recording industry, this album does not have a chance to get the appreciation it should. Although it does have some wasted tracks, when it’s on, it has tracks that I won’t soon forget. Overall this album garners a strong 4.5/5 rating, a rating that I do not give out easily.

-SJones