Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 05/10/2005
Starting Line were just kids when they made
Say It Like You Mean It, their 2002 full-length debut. The Philly combo's energetic
emo blushed with first-time love and heartbreak, and not coincidentally their songs resonated most with kids in the midst of similar drama summers. Everyone's a little older for
Based on a True Story.
Kenny Vasoli is still singing about girls in his life and the feelings in his heart, but in 2005 those topics include marriage, long-distance relationships, and "What does it all mean?" examinations of purpose. And
True Story takes a cue from the softer touch of 2003's
Make Yourself at Home EP, incorporating acoustic guitars, emphasizing
Vasoli's edge-of-tears vocal, and favoring busy breaks rather than actual rocking. Although
Starting Line have seemingly matured into a more grandiose version of
A New Found Glory (without as much fun), they remain capable of a highlight like
"Photography," an
emo-
adult contemporary ballad with surging keys and strings and love-dizzy lyrics ("You're making a small change to the way that you wear your heart/I like it better!").
~Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
;)
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