After the handful of lukewarm reviews their previous album,  “Based on a True Story,” received, the boys of The Starting Line (TSL) are most definitely heading in the right ‘direction’ again. Their new album, “Direction,” was released August 31, 2007, and their first single of the album, “Island,” was recently showcased as a first-look video on the MTV series “TRL.”

Although it may seem like a dated CD for me to review, I just recently listened to the album in full and fell in love with it. While TSL failed to meet most fan and critics’ expectations with their sophomore full-length album, “Based on a True Story,” with “Direction” they simultaneously quieted their critics and pleased their dedicated fans.

The album’s title track and first of the album, “Direction,” immediately highlights the band’s exceptional ability to create new music that is a step forward, without alienating their familiar sound in the process. Undoubtedly, as long as Kenny Vasoli’s vocals and lyrics are a part of TSL, it will be hard to mistake the band for any other. This track stresses the fact that the boys are older and unquestionably able to make mature, thought-out and altogether stellar music.

Three songs into the album, the boys reach another high point with “Are You Alone.” The band strikes gold with this song, generating a sound that is arguably much different from anything they have released before. As the drums and guitars pound away, Vasoli hammers out some outstanding vocals, as the song turns into one of TSL’s best on the album.

Following up, “Are You Alone” is the band’s first single entitled “Island,” a song that has radio airplay written all over it. However, as poppy as the song is, the band finds a way to accompany the pop sound with great musicianship and fine lyrics. With “Island,” TSL proves to the world that they can compete with a comparable band like the All American Rejects (AAR), although I argue that they have much more to offer. TSL strives where bands like AAR miss the boat, as they do not abandon their ability to create innovative music to achieve a radio-friendly sound.

Building upon that note, the band delivers another impressive song with their sixth, “Something Left to Give.” TSL again demonstrates their already known aptitude of producing great acoustic material, producing a song that urged me to sing along.

Without a doubt, the band sounds tighter and more polished than they ever have before and their seventh song “Birds” is a testament to that fact. Kenny, Mike, Matt and Tom are on the same page throughout the entire album, and the song “Birds” may be the perfect example of this, as they come together to create a powerful and impeccable song. The same can be said of the tenth song of the album, “Somebody’s Gonna Miss Us,” a song that makes you want to tap your feet and scream the words right along with the boys.

TSL rounds out the album with a track called “What You Want,” which further solidifies the album’s status as their best yet and as one of my favorite albums in a long time. “What You Want” doesn’t drag on, like most final songs do; instead, the boys deliver a strong finishing touch to the album.

With TSL’s third full-length release, the band shows that they can continue to create music but on a much more mature and polished level. The album proved to be a great mix of material similar to their previous work with songs like “21,” “Way With Words” and “I Could Be Wrong” and songs that headed them into a brighter and more promising direction.

“Direction” and TSL in general are both exactly what the music industry is missing right now, as the boys have found a way to create meaningful music to which many can relate. TSL, which was once a band that I listened to before I had a driver’s license, has certainly grown up and proven that they can be a band that could have a place in this industry for a long time to come.

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