Lines, Vines and Trying Times is the fourth studio album by the Jonas Brothers. It was released June 16, 2009, in the US. The album received mixed reviews from critics and fans. In its first week, the album sold 247,000 copies, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. It was their third and last album released under Hollywood Records, and their last before a hiatus, which lasted from October 2013 to March 2019.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Nick Jonas explained the title, Lines, Vines and Trying Times as "a bit of poetry we came up with on the set for the TV show." On the meaning, he stated, "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." He noted, "this new album for us, I wouldn’t say it’s a big jump, but it definitely is a progression in our music and a growth for us. It has a lot more kinds of horns and a lot more strings." Added Joe Jonas, "there’s more to the music rather than just a typical kind of relationship song."[2]
Reviews for the album were mixed, both from critics and fans saying that it was "premature". According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received mixed or average reviews, scoring 56 out of 100 points based on 11 reviews.[12]Allmusic named "overthinking and over-production" as the album's main flaws, and noted that the group's combination of "teen pop that skews adult in its sound and form" seemed effortless on their previous album, A Little Bit Longer, but felt that on Lines the "seams are showing."[24]Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune claimed, "The rush to maturity is, well, premature," and added that "the strings and horns [...] only bog things down."[25]Entertainment Weekly criticized "Don't Charge Me for the Crime," calling it "the sonic equivalent of being held at gunpoint by a baby rabbit," but praised "Black Keys" as being the most honest track, adding that "its quiet brushstrokes of teenage despair easily transcend Lines' misdemeanor mutinies."[26] The New York Daily News criticized "World War III," saying, "it sounds like they just pulled a collective hernia."[27][28]
Singlesedit
"Paranoid" was released as the album's lead single on May 12, 2009. Hollywood Records confirmed on April 29, 2009 that the track "Paranoid" would be the album's official single. On May 7, 2009 the song debuted on Radio Disney. It was released as an official radio single on May 8, 2009 and as a digital download on May 12.[29] The music video was directed by Brendan Malloy and Tim Wheeler.[30] The music video for Paranoid premiered on May 23, 2009 on Disney Channel. Paranoid peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Fly with Me" was released as a single on June 9, 2009. The song was first used during the end credits of the movie Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian. A music video for the song premiered on Disney Channel on June 7, 2009.[31] "Fly with Me" peaked at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the group's lower charting singles.
Lines, Vines and Trying Times debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 247,000 copies, becoming the Jonas Brothers' second number-one album in the country. As of March 2015, the album has sold
757,000 copies in the United States.[33]
Strings on "Black Keys", "Don't Speak", "Fly with Me", and "Before the Storm" arranged and conducted by Steve Lu and performed by Eric Gorfain, Daphne Chen, Radu Pieptea, Wes Precourt (violins), Caroline Buckman, Briana Bandy (violas), Richard Dodd and Matt Cooker (cellos).
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^Rudy K. (16 June 2009). "Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
^Kreps, Daniel (April 21, 2009). "Jonas Brothers Unveil Stark and Sunny 'Lines, Vines And Trying Times' Cover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
^"Jonas Brothers at Myspace Music". Retrieved 2009-05-26.
^"Jonas Brothers spend a Night at the Museum". Archived from the original on 2009-05-30. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
^"Thursday, May 07, 2009 - LIVE FACEBOOK WEBCAST TODAY 5PM PDT!!!". Jonas Brothers via Myspace Blogs. 2009-05-07. Archived from the original on 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
^""Friday, May 29, 2009 - Last Night's Chat" and "Friday, May 29, 2009 - Next Live Facebook Webcast June 4th!!!"". Jonas Brothers via Myspace Blogs. 2009-05-29. Archived from the original on April 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
^"Soundcheck - Jonas Brothers". Archived from the original on 2009-05-24. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
^""GMA" summer concerts in central park". ABC News. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
^"Jonas Brothers Myspace (Events List)". Jonas Brothers via Myspace. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
^"'Twilight,' Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers rock the Teen Choice Awards". LA Times. 2009-08-09. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
^ ab"Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
^"Jonas Brothers - Lines, Vines and Trying Times - Review of the Jonas Brothers Album Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Top40.about.com. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^Marlowe, Sam. "Theater Loop: Chicago Theater News, Reviews & More - chicagotribune.com". Leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^Comaratta, Len (2009-07-16). "The Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines & Trying Times | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^Grennblatt, Leah (2009-06-10). "Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
^"Album review: Jonas Brothers' 'Lines, Vines and Trying Times'". Los Angeles Times. 2009-06-15.
^"New Music Tuesday: The Jonas Brothers' 'Lines, Vines and Trying Times' more Chipmunks than Monkees". NY Daily News. 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^Burson, Harry. "The Jonas Brothers: Lines, Vines and Trying Times". PopMatters. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^"Album Reviews and Ratings". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^"Jonas Brothers: Lines, Vines and Trying Times | Album Review". Slant Magazine. 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^"Review: Jonas Brothers - Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^"Allmusic ((( Lines, Vines and Trying Times > Overview )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
^"Chicago Tribune Album Review - Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Chicago Tribune. 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
^"Lines, Vines and Trying Times - Music Review - Entertainment Weekly". Entertainment Weekly. 2009-06-10. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
^Farber, Jim (2009-06-15). "New Music Tuesday: The Jonas Brothers' 'Lines, Vines and Trying Times' more Chipmunks than Monkees". New York Daily. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
^Farber, Jim (2009-06-15). "New Music Tuesday: The Jonas Brothers' 'Lines, Vines and Trying Times' more Chipmunks than Monkees and Beyond". New York Daily. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
^"Jonas Brothers Paranoid (Video, Lyrics)". Archived from the original on 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
^"Jonas Brothers Set to Release Fourth CD Lines, Vines And Trying Times Worldwide June 15; Major Roll-Out for First Single 'Paranoid' Starts May 8". Hollywood Records. 2009-04-29. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
^""Fly With Me" Video This Sunday on Disney Channel!!!". Jonas Brothers via Myspace Blogs. 2009-06-05. Archived from the original on 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
^"Jonas Brothers Twitter". Retrieved 2009-09-01 – via Twitter.
^ abPeoples, Slenn (March 26, 2015). "Why Zayn Malik's Departure From One Direction Won't Hurt Band's Music Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
^ ab"Lines, Vines & Trying Times, Jonas Brothers | Muziek" (in Dutch). bol.com. 2009-11-27. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^ ab"Lines, Vines and Trying Times (Ltd.Box Set): Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
^"CAPIF - Representando a la Industria Argentina de la Música". Capif. Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
^"Australiancharts.com – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Austriancharts.at – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Ultratop.be – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Ultratop.be – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Lescharts.com – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Offiziellecharts.de – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Greekcharts.com - Jonas Brothers - Lines, Vines and Trying Times". greekcharts.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Irish-charts.com – Discography Jonas Brothers". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Italiancharts.com – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Mexicancharts.com - Jonas Brothers - Lines, Vines and Trying Times". mexicancharts.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Charts.nz – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Norwegiancharts.com – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. 2009-06-21. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
^"Portuguesecharts.com – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
^"Spanishcharts.com – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Swedishcharts.com – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Swisscharts.com – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Jonas Brothers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
^"Top de l'année Top Albums 2009" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
^"Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
^"Discos de Oro y Platino". 2009-08-23. Retrieved 2009-08-23.[permanent dead link]
^"Brazilian album certifications – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Canadian album certifications – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". Music Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^"Italian album certifications – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 2, 2023. Select "2012" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Lines, Vines and Trying Times" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
^"Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved October 2, 2023. Type Jonas Brothers in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Lines, Vines and Trying Times in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
^"Spanish album certifications – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines and Trying Times". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ abcd"Jonas Brothers' Fourth Album Due June 15". Billboard. 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2009-03-18.