Based on a True Story

AMG Review of Based on a True Story

Johnny Loftus
All Music Guide

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 allad 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!").