The musicianship of the Jonas Brothers is often overlooked, but that may change on their fourth studio album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times.
Lines features a cool collection of songs primarily written by the JoBros, including groovy ones like "Hey Baby," "Much Better" and the first single, "Paranoid."
But the best songs are the slow jams, like "Turn Right" and the exceptional "Black Keys," solely written by the youngest Jonas, 16-year-old Nick.
Lines, Vines and Trying Times is not without its missteps, though. Where the boys try to take artistic leaps - like collaborating with rapper Common on "Don't Charge Me for the Crime" - they fall short. The country-sounding "What Did I Do to Your Heart" is also dismissible.
- Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press
Games
Boom Blox Bash Party **** (4 stars)
Nintendo Wii. $39.99.
Boom Blox Bash Party offers more of the block-toppling physics mayhem of the original game while shoring up its weaknesses and adding a healthy dose of new stuff.
There's more of everything - more "blox"; more toys to knock them over with, such as a slingshot and a cannon; more blocky characters; and more ways to play.
Players can now upload levels they design and download new ones freely, and each game type has an option to search for more levels of that kind.
- Justin Heoger, McClatchy Newspapers
