Titled “Lines, Vines, and Trying Times”, this album marks their fourth studio album.According to Nick Jonas, 16, the youngest brother of the band, in an interview with Rolling Stones, “Lines are something that someone feeds you, whether it’s good or bad. Vines are the things that get in the way of the path that you’re on, and trying times — well, obviously we’re younger guys, but we’re aware of what’s going on in the world and we’re trying to bring some light to it.”

It seems like what the Jonas Brothers feel is going around the world right now are apparently just girls, relationships and heartbreaks. Almost every song involves these 3 topics very clearly, which just goes to show that you can be young, filthy rich, talented and famous the world over and you still have problems. Could the reason behind the decline of album sales be due to their immaturity in their music?

You might think the first track of this latest album, “World War III”, is about world peace or North Korean missiles. But no, it sings, “You start screaming, wake the neighbours. And now everyone’s out for our blood. I didn’t want no confrontation. Because of you that’s what I got. Well, you gotta chill out. ‘Cause baby, I don’t wanna fight with you. And every battle we fought, just makes us look like fools.”

The next song, “Paranoid”, speaks of another bitter relationship as well, “That’s why my ex is still my ex. I never trust a word she says. I’m running all the background checks. And she’s freaking out.”

It’s a heartbreak marathon as they sing “Hey baby, why you treatin’ me so bad? Hey darlin’, know you’re makin’ me mad. I’m goin’ crazy, tryin’ to figure out why you’re leavin’, give me a reason” in the first verse of the fifth song of the album, “Hey Baby”.

Their personal lives are indeed reflected in the type of music they produce, for example “Much Better”, which is the 7th song of the album. According to Justjared, a website on entertainment and celebrity buzz, Joe Jonas broke up with Taylor Swift “over a 27-second phone call” and “quietly began seeing 22-year old Camilla [Belle]”. “Now I’m done with super stars. And all the tears on her guitar, I’m not bitter. Now I see everything I’d ever need, is the girl in front of me. She’s much better.”The lyrics such as “tears on her guitar” refer to Taylor Swift, and “the girl in front of me” to Camilla, who was in the Jonas Brothers video.

Overall, this album displays little range of emotions, being too self-involved in the same heavy-hearted sentiments and situations.

Though the lyrics are sappy, the tempo for majority of them are upbeat and fast-paced. In fact, “Don’t Charge Me For The Crime” starts off with a rap, which is something unexpected from these eye candy brothers. Great job to the Jonas Brothers!

As compared to their third album, A Little Bit Longer, Lines, Vines, and Trying Times isn’t as successful. A Little Bit Longer, released on August 28 last year, was the first on the Billboard 200, selling 525, 402 units during their first week of release and stayed at the top for the next 3 weeks. This album shows to have a greater success than their current album.

But you can’t blame the Jonas Brothers for not performing as well for their latest album. Two singles of A Little Bit Longer, “Burning Up” and “Lovebug” received much publicity via Disney Channel. For instance, the music video of “Burning Up” was shown right after the premier of Camp Rock!

The decline in album sales for this latest album could also be because they’re trying to experiment with different musical instruments, such as the horns and strings, according to Nick Jonas.

Overall, the Jonas Brothers did manage to showcase a wide array of tempos in this album. That being said, the melancholy in this album is probably relatable to teens these days, as they describe the major pre-occupation of teens at this stage in their life. Hence, Lines, Vines, and Trying Times may have difficulty reaching out to the adults. Nevertheless, this album could be worth listening. You never know, you may just fall in love with these cute boys.

Tracklist

1. World War III

2. Paranoid

3. Fly With Me

4. Poison Ivy

5. Hey Baby

6. What Did I Do To Your Heart

7. Much Better

8. Black Keys

9. Turn Right

10. Don’t Speak

11. Keep It Real

12. Don’t Charge Me For The Crime

13. Before The Storm

Ratings: 2.8/5