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On the Line
by
On the Line Image
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 24 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 45 Ratings

  • Summary: The fourth full-length release for the singer-songwriter/actress features contributions from Ryan Adams, Beck, Jim Keltner, Ringo Starr, Benmont Tench, and Don Was.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. The Telegraph (UK)
    Mar 21, 2019
    100
    If you like quality songwriting delivered with panache, On The Line is on the money.
  2. Variety
    Mar 22, 2019
    90
    The final result on display in On the Line--from the somber waltz of “Do Si Do” to the swell of strings at the climax of “Taffy”--is a new high watermark for a musician who’s never been willing to let a little rain get the best of her.
  3. Chicago Tribune
    Mar 22, 2019
    88
    There’s loneliness, heartache and regret mixed with more than a pinch of decadence in these songs. The boozy, druggy indulgences match the haziness of the best songs, the self-medication of a generation of Los Angeles kids raised on broken families and bittersweet relationships.
  4. Drowned In Sound
    Mar 18, 2019
    80
    On the Line is yet another beautifully-realised and impeccably-delivered effort from a songwriter who revels and beguiles us from floorboards and pavements that few other songwriters would dream to tread.
  5. The Observer (UK)
    Mar 25, 2019
    80
    Her incisive storytelling is at the fore on Heads Gonna Roll, which describes a road movie with “a narcoleptic poet from Duluth”. Ringo Starr plays drums on it, such is Lewis’s back-channel clout. More gripping vignettes follow.
  6. Consequence
    Mar 22, 2019
    75
    On the Line isn’t a breakup album, a death album, or even a “fuck-you” album, but one that encompasses all of it, ambitious and introspective, focused on embracing the mess and mistakes made along the way.
  7. AllMusic
    Mar 12, 2019
    70
    All the sonic elements are in place, so it's slightly disappointing that the songs aren't as vivid as the album's deliberately hazy vibe.

See all 24 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. PeterSant
    Oct 15, 2019
    10
    This fourth album from Jenny shows how she is an excellent songwriter and instrumentalist. Country and Rock music from the 60s and 70s -This fourth album from Jenny shows how she is an excellent songwriter and instrumentalist. Country and Rock music from the 60s and 70s - especially something reminiscent of Dolly Parton. "On the Line" is a masterpiece!… Expand
  2. jpowell28
    Sep 6, 2019
    10
    This is hands-down Jenny Lewis' best album. Her songwriting is some of the best of her career and her vocals are spot-on. She is assisted onThis is hands-down Jenny Lewis' best album. Her songwriting is some of the best of her career and her vocals are spot-on. She is assisted on this album by Ringo Starr, Ryan Adams, Beck and Jim Keltner, and none of them upstage her. Even the killer Benmont Tench organ solo on Heads Gonna Roll only enhances what is already a superbly written song. This the masterpiece she has been working towards, evidenced by Rabbit Fur Coat, Acid Tongue and The Voyager, which were all brilliant but had one or two just OK songs. There is not a song on this album I don't love and the album flows beautifully. I could list the best songs but they are all good. Highlights to me are Taffy, Hollywood Lawn, Wasted Youth, Little White Dove and Heads Gonna Roll but I love them all. Great album - I've been listening to it all year, and it will likely top my favorites of 2019.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best Album of 2019
45
#45 Most Shared Album of 2019

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