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Lines, Vines and Trying Times

What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Jacqueline Rupp

LINES, VINES AND TRYING TIMES is the fourth studio album for the teen idol trio. Full of a dozen tracks, the album has the boys crooning about lots of relationship trouble "all I get is attitude," and teen girls should have plenty of reasons to feel sorry for these lovesick guys that seem to be taking their hits in love (see: "World War III," "Poison Ivy," "Paranoid"). Lines… finds the group expanding their musical horizons and covering lots of different genres on the album, from their standard pop rock to bluegrass, country, and funk. There's even some retro sounds reminiscent of Human League and Genesis (complete with full horn and string sections!).

Is It Any Good?

5

The Jonas Brothers prove once again that they are a cut above the standard boy band. Lines, Vines and Trying Times is a surprisingly rich collection of songs that cover a wide scope of musical territory. Although there are some great pop ballads on the album that have that classic Disney rock sound, like "Fly with Me," there's also some daring additions such as "What Did I Do To Your Heart" with its country-twang and rockin' fiddle and the totally 80's fan tribute "Much Better." The JoBros' natural likability is in full effect and the trio displays a refreshing degree of self-awareness and humility on tracks like "Paranoid" and "Keep it Real," where the boys insist they haven't let fame and fortune go to their head. "Livin' life, life in the fast lane, not that bad, no we can't complain, who's to say we won't keep it real?"

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