I Guess They Didn’t Need Adam . . . North Is Entirely Respectable Matchbox Twenty!

The Good: Mostly wonderful lyrics, Good tunes, Decent vocals
The Bad: SHORT! Some of the lyrics are painfully cliche
The Basics: North reassures Matchbox Twenty fans that the band still has it, even after Adam Gaynor left the group!


When a band is reconfigured, it can spell the demise of that group, especially if it was a particularly popular band in its original iteration. The group Matchbox Twenty appeared, by sales, to be a band that peaked with its first album and descended from there (personally, I assert that Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty is superior to the band’s debut), so when Adam Gaynor left the group in 2005, it could have signaled the final nail in the coffin for the popular group. However, Matchbox Twenty managed to pull it off; reforming without Gaynor, they created and released North and the sound and feel of the album is pure Matchbox Twenty.

In fact, the quality of North makes one wonder just why Rob Thomas felt he had to foster a solo career; his stuff and Matchbox Twenty’s enduring style are virtually the same, so it seemed like he could have just kept the band together and released his songs as Matchbox Twenty songs. After all, the band started with Rob Thomas writing all of the songs, so it wouldn’t have really traumatized the band for him to keep doing that. Regardless, North is a return to form for Matchbox Twenty, though – like its prior albums – Thomas was not solely responsible for writing the lyrics and music for the band.

With a dozen songs, clocking out at 42:24, perhaps the greatest defect for North is that it is short. The entire album is written by the men of Matchbox Twenty (Rob Thomas, Kyle Cook and Paul Doucette, at least!) and the quartet is responsible for all of the primary instrumentation on North. As one might expect from a Matchbox Twenty album, Rob Thomas provides all of the lead vocals, save on “The Way,” where Kyle Cook is given the chance to vocally shine. The only major creative aspect that Matchbox Twenty is not directly responsible for is the album’s production, but given how Matt Serletic produced the three prior albums (but not the compilation album), it seems likely that the men of Matchbox Twenty were involved enough to get the sound they intended represented on the album.

North is one of Matchbox Twenty’s more upbeat albums, characterized by the radio-played singles “She’s So Mean” and the very typical-sounding ballad “Overjoyed,” both of which have Rob Thomas on leading vocals. On North, Matchbox Twenty sounds exactly like what it is; a guitar/bass/drum rock and roll band. The band rocks along the spectrum from the more forceful “She’s So Mean” to the poppy on “Radio.” The album is a good balance of up-tempo rock tunes and slower, more ballad-like tracks like “Overjoyed” and “I Will.”

Vocally, Rob Thomas sounds as good as he ever has, dominating the middle vocal registers and singing articulately enough that all of the lines may be clearly heard and understood. Kyle Cook’s foray to the lead vocals sounds good, though his voice is not severely differentiated from Thomas on the song to make one think they are hearing anything but a Matchbox Twenty song.

Lyrically, North is actually one of Matchbox Twenty’s more upbeat albums. Instead of being dominated by depressing songs, North includes songs that are about partying (“Put Your Hands Up”) and more traditional love songs (“Our Song”). This is a nice thematic departure from the band’s usual songs about tortured, tumultuous relationships! That is not to say that there aren’t any great, sad songs on North; far from it! The band still rocks sadly with lines like “We had love / Always thought it would be enough / Oh, but then it goes away / But I don't really wanna give up / It feels like hell to let you walk / Bet it all down but I couldn't afford it / This is the way you want it to be” (“The Way”).

While North has some good lines, it is also plagued by a few particularly bad conceits that the band had not usually fallen into. In addition to songs that are far more repetitive than their earlier works, Matchbox Twenty’s ability to turn a phrase flounders on some of the songs. Most notable of these is “,” which is populated by clichés. No matter how many times I hear the group sing “I'm walking behind you / Calling the way you / Give away all your secrets / You're taking the high road / And picking your battles / Just like the day I found you” (“Like Sugar”), it is hard not to wince at the overexposed clichés.

That said, Thomas, Cook and Douchette manage to pack some of the songs on North with beautiful imagery, not just poetic expressions of emotions. On “English Town,” the group paints a clear image with their words: “Come inside / The air I breathe / While the band still plays / It's the end of the coldest week / Come down into the sea / Cause everybody wants to get away sometimes / And everybody needs mistakes / When the sun breaks / Over the edge of an English town / It pulls me away / From a bad dream / I don't know why / But I know I'm not / Ever going back.”

Ultimately, North is a decent return to the pop-rock stage for a band who has been missed!

The best song is “The Way,” the low point is the repetitive “Like Sugar.”

For other works by Matchbox Twenty, please be sure to check out:
Yourself Or Someone Like You
Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty
More Than You Think You Are
Exile On Mainstream

7/10

For other music reviews, please check out my Album Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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They've Had Their Day: Matchbox Twenty Falls As Exile[s] On Mainstream.

The Good: Good collection of singles, Moments in the new songs
The Bad: Only six new songs, Does not use medium well, Short
The Basics: Disappointingly little new from Matchbox Twenty - and disappointing for what new there is! - Exile On Mainstream relies on the old hits to sell this disc.


Unlike the seeming legions of people who abandoned MatchBox Twenty after their first album, MatchBox Twenty quickly leapt into my Top Five. It is only now, with Exile On Mainstream that I think they are falling back out. For those who have not read a lot of my reviews, I have a very conservative buying strategy when it comes to compact discs. I get a whole ton of them out from my local library, which has an amazing interlibrary loan policy. But when it comes to actually buying c.d.s, I tend to have a pretty strict "three singles first" rule. Sure, lately, I have been letting that slip as I try to find the next big artist and invest early, but usually a disc must have three tracks I know and love before I will buy it. The exceptions to this rule have been my Top Five, the artists whose work has previously proved itself to me such that I will purchase their new works without hearing even a note. Up until now, those Top Five have been: Heather Nova, Dar Williams, Oasis, Sophie B. Hawkins and Matchbox Twenty.

Matchbox Twenty was not the last one to enter my Top Five (Dar Williams actually was, but she's become pretty highly enshrined there) but it looks like it might be the first one out after Exile On Mainstream. I met the band during their tour promoting Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty and enjoyed their live performance, but now, years later, I am surprised how high I rated More Than You Think You Are. I am equally surprised that it was Adam Gaynor who defected from the quintet (smart money was always on Rob Thomas, though my money was on bassist Brian Yale) and the quartet's latest album, Exile On Mainstream almost seems like a goodbye to Gaynor . . . and perhaps the band.

With two discs, the six track first disc and the eleven track "best of" or "singles" disc, clocking in at 19:35 and 46:35, respectively, Exile On Mainstream is both a new album and retrospective of MatchBox Twenty. Given the group has only three full albums, plus one limited edition EP (appropriately enough entitled EP), it seems especially lazy that their new endeavor would be only six new songs and almost twice as much in recycled content. This is Matchbox Twenty for the radio crowd; fans of the band can't even get rid of More Than You Think You Are as some of the best tracks from that album (namely "Hand Me Down" and "Downfall") are not represented in this collection. To my knowledge, the only track released as a single that does not appear on Exile On Mainstream is "Crutch" from Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty. But because the second disc is pretty much designed to appeal to those who liked Matchbox Twenty on the radio - and not those who already own the songs on the prior albums - I'm going to focus on the first disc.

Wow, six tracks. Is Rob Thomas holding out the best stuff for his solo career? Probably. I suppose Matchbox Twenty must have had some serious creative differences with Thomas: after all, on the other albums he does most of the lead vocals and most of the writing, but he still felt the need to go solo. Coming back, the band seems diminished and the six original tracks lack the emotion and rock and roll nature of the band's earlier works.

First, lyrically, Exile On Mainstream's new works seem unimpressive and far more . . . mainstream than their prior outings. Credited to MatchBox Twenty, all six songs are original to the band, but none of them pop the way that "Push" or "Mad Season" did. In other words, there is nothing as haunting, compelling or original. Indeed, the album's opener, "How Far We've Come" almost seems like the band saying "good-bye." Indeed, with lines like, ". . . I don't really know / And I can't remember caring / For an hour or so / Started crying and I couldn't stop myself / I started running but there's nowhere to run to . . . It was cool, cool / It was just all cool / Now it's over for me / And it's over for you" ("How Far We've Come") even the fans of the band are pretty much ready for this to be the farewell to the band. Sometimes, you just have two albums in you and after that . . .

To be fair, the lyrics are not all of the problem. Take, for example, "I'll Believe You When." Lyrically, this strikes one as very much a Matchbox Twenty song. After all, ". . . I wasn't fair I wasn't nice / But now I've got myself together / When I promise to be better / You say / Whoa / I'll believe you when . . . when everything you say / Don't turn out wrong" ("I'll Believe You When") sounds like the same emotional, depressed, somewhat pessimistic lines that the band made hits out of before. Unfortunately, with the second track, the band illustrates that the emerging problem with Matchbox Twenty is not necessarily the lyrics but the incongruent instrumentals and vocals that accompany it.

Things like the backing vocals (lots of "do-do's") in "All Your Reasons" make the songs sound much more pop than rock and it does not fit. Emotionally, it guts the lines and aurally, it sounds like Kyle and Paul (who are credited with backing vocals on the song) were just saying "Put us in!" It doesn't benefit the song - and I think Paul is an amazing drummer, so it is a shame that he's gone this way - and it lowers the overall appeal of the album. Indeed, this album seems a lot more poppy than any of the three prior endeavors. Ironically, for someone who loves folk rock and pop-rock, I've enjoyed the way Matchbox Twenty has brought some balance to my collection by being more rock and roll than some of my other favorites.

As well, the new tracks seem more repetitive. "These Hard Times" and "If I Fall" seem like they are mostly a few lines repeated over and over and they oscillate between being tiresome and completely unmemorable. Vocally, the lead is still Rob Thomas but he seems to phone it in on this album. "If I Fall" seems to be the only track where he holds a note and his performance on all six songs is safely within his range. Actually, on "If I Fall," his vocals sound at times like he is trying to be Bono and the backing vocals similarly seem familiar in a very U2 kind of way.

But lyrically, the track I was most predisposed towards, "Can't Let You Go" still disappoints me. After all, this sounds like classic Rob Thomas lyrics with lines like "I'll stick around / And see how bad it gets / I'll settle down / and deal with old regrets / You know I / I adore you / I can't let you go . . ." ("Can't Let You Go"). This is exactly the type of clingy angst that made Matchbox Twenty appealing from the outset. But the music here just doesn't back it up. It doesn't have the hook of a "3 A.M." or "Bent." As a result, most of the songs on Exile On Mainstream are actually better poems for moody teenager types than they are songs for adults.

That said, the album's quirks are compounded by the fact that these are two albums. Compact discs can hold a great deal of information and it would have been no problem to squeeze the content of both discs onto a single one. Why two discs? A "now" and "then" disc, fine. But seriously, guys, after EP, having another short disc and trying to sell it on the strength of the second ("greatest hits") disc just seems lazy. And while the lifestyle can be, the artistry of rock and roll can never afford to be lazy.

As for that second disc, it almost makes it worth buying this compact disc. I was glad to see that the oft-neglected "Long Day" was present and all of the legitimate hits like "Push," "3 A.M.," "Bent," and "Unwell" are on that second disc. That makes this the single best investment for radio-only fans of Matchbox Twenty and, for a change, I find myself railing against a "Greatest Hits" type album with the second disc of unreleased material. In short, there's not enough of it. This is not something like U2 or R.E.M.'s two-disc limited edition "Best Of" sets which give the radio singles as well as other tracks to enhance one's appreciation of the band. This is a strangely safe-bet c.d. It's like the band didn't want to release a new album without an insurance policy.

Sadly, though, that bet doesn't pay off with me. Based on the lack of strength of the new material, it's impossible to sell this album to the hard-core fans, especially with the bulk of material being on that second disc. But if you're fan of what you've heard on the radio by Matchbox Twenty but don't want to have to buy their prior outings, Exile On Mainstream may be the way to go.

Until they earn my trust back, with Yourself Or Someone Like You quality of singles I come to know and love, Matchbox Twenty has slipped out of my Top Fi . . . er, Four.

The best tracks are "How Far We've Come" (disc one) and "Mad Season" (disc two), the low points are "If I Fall" (disc one) and "Back 2 Good" (disc two).

For other works by Matchbox Twenty, please be sure to check out:
Yourself Or Someone Like You
Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty
More Than You Think You Are

4.5/10

For other music reviews, please visit my Music Review Index Page by clicking here!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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More Than I Thought It Could Be, More Than You Think You Are By Matchbox Twenty Still Underwhelms.

The Good: Theme, Many instrumentals, Flow of one song to another, Most lyrics
The Bad: Some terrible rhymes, A few instrumentals are tired or dull
The Basics: With their third album, Matchbox Twenty stumbles into a rut with their distinctive sounds and lyrics failing to impress as much as their prior works.


Usually, when a musical group gets into my pantheon of "safe buys" (i.e. people whose music I will buy on faith that it will be wonderful, of which only five musical artists qualify), I will buy their new albums when they first come out. For one reason or another - I honestly cannot recall now - I did not purchase More Than You Think You Are when it first came out. It might have been because I heard "Disease" on the radio and did not like it. Maybe I was broke at the time. I don't remember.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy "Unwell" (until they overplayed it to death on the radio) and "Bright Lights" from the album when they were played as singles on the radio and I recently purchased More Than You Think You Are. I am unsure of what my apprehension toward the album was; it was the first new album Matchbox Twenty had put out since their near-perfect Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty (reviewed here!) and also the first new album since I met the band in person at a concert.

Maybe I was just concerned that the group could not live up to my expectations or my hopes following on the heels of Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty. Maybe it was just how much I did not like the radio single "Disease." After my first listen to More Than You Think You Are, my apprehension and reservations melted away. And that's not just me saying "It's not as bad as I thought it might be."

It was a tough call at first, though. More Than You Think You Are opens with one of the weakest Matchbox Twenty songs of all time. "Feel" has middle-of-the-road lyrics that are almost shouted out by lead singer Rob Thomas over one of the least-organized musical arrangements I have ever heard. It's a cacophony. There's little order or art to the opening song and it left my ears aching for something better. And then came "Disease."

For those who have not heard the song "Disease," it is a collaboration between Rob Thomas and Mick Jagger. It doesn't sound quite like a Matchbox Twenty song lyrically and it puts forth some clumsy rhymes that feel misappropriated. There's a rhyme of "magic" and "tragic" that hasn't been done since "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and in the older song, it sounded better.

That said, the album gets better both lyrically and musically after the first two tracks. Part of that is that they sound more like what one expects when listening to Matchbox Twenty, strong, well-written lyrics supported by guitars, bass, and drums with a piano thrown in occasionally. That is not to say that the band does not show any growth on this album. Indeed, the gospel choir on "Downfall" would be enough to illustrate that the band is willing to try new things. It is, however, that the two opening tracks are such a divergence (and the first track is so poor musically) that they do not sound pleasantly like Matchbox Twenty or products of the band at all.

However, the rest of the album provides great lyrics and music and it is more than worth the price of the album. Rob Thomas' vocals are great, with him illustrating wonderful range. Again "Downfall" is a track where he plays through with his voice in ways that he has not before. And his lyrics are at their usual stunning best. In fact, his song "Hand Me Down," which seems to have many lines about how the object of the protagonists attentions gets beat around and dragged through all sorts of circumstances, has a bridge wherein the protagonist offers refuge, making the song a more ambiguous piece than many of Matchbox Twenty's usual depressing fare. I like that.

"Soul," "Unwell," and "Bright Lights" sound very traditionally like Matchbox Twenty, with clear rock and roll sounds and lyrics that are sharp and interesting and generally sad. Matchbox Twenty is not known for happy, smiling light pop. No, this is a group to listen to when you're happy to be mired in your depressions. And it works splendidly for that. More Than You Think You Are is a great example of their continuing effort and growth.

It just does not manage to get to the points that their second album does.

One of the nice things about More Than You Think You Are is the inclusion (again) of songs written by other members of the band, not just Rob Thomas. Indeed, one of the albums most interesting and distinctive songs is "Could I Be You" which was written by drummer Paul Doucette. It illustrates perfectly that Rob Thomas does not have a monopoly on angst within the group and that the band truly does work best as a unit to create their distinctive sound.

All in all, a good album well above the common stuff heard on the radio, despite the first two tracks. Best tracks are "Unwell" and the lyrically complicated "Hand Me Down." The weak track is "Feel."

For other Matchbox Twenty albums and reviews of works by similar artists, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Yourself Or Someone Like You
Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell - Meat Loaf
Foiled - Blue October

6/10

For other music reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012, 2005 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Matchbox Twenty Ekes Toward Perfection With Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty

The Good: Generally more polished than debut, good lyrics, good vocals
The Bad: Occasionally cluttered instrumentals
The Basics: An overall solid album, a good buy for anyone who loves brilliant lyrics. There's no denying the emotion and depth of this album!


Sophomore albums always receive more scrutiny than the debut, especially when the debut was such a monster of a hit as MatchBox Twenty's Yourself Or Someone Like You (reviewed here!). The fact is, following up on an album that had no less than four hit singles and was one of the first diamond certified albums is pretty intimidating. The men of MatchBox Twenty don't let the pressure get them down and, in fact, on Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty, they show they're up to the task.

This album continues doing what the band did best on the debut; presenting the excellent, empathetic lyrics of Rob Thomas. Indeed, the simple act of falling out of love is never quite so well captured in music today as in "Rest Stop." Thomas writes such simple, evocative lines that when put to music create extraordinary songs. The longing and loss of "Rest Stop" is a perfect example, "So I thought - hell if it's over / I had better end it quick / Or I could lose my nerve / Are you listening - can you hear me / Have you forgotten?"

The album shows development of the band in that the other members stand out more on backing vocals, instrumentals, and even writing (drummer Paul Doucette co-wrote "Stop"). The guitars on "Mad Season," for example, show quite a bit of growth over the simple chords of "Push" from their debut.

Mad Season By MatchBox Twenty contains much of the same depressing themes of the debut, but with more musical variety. First off, they utilize a much greater range of musical instruments. "You Won't Be Mine" uses violins and pianos and the song sounds different from anything else the group has done. All of the songs are rock, but the spectrum of rock they make use of is broader. That is, most of the songs sound very different from each other.

The group generally has a more polished sound and on "Mad Season" they manage to achieve perfection. That is, the single "Mad Season" is a perfect song. That song expresses perfectly the feelings of loss and confusion that comes when a relationship is on the rocks or over. Lyrically it is ambivalent enough to be about other things as well, including death and divorce. The power of Thomas' lyrics, like any good poet, are they may often be interpreted beyond the literal.

The album is doing more than carrying out a tradition established in the debut. Instead, it is expanding the scope of Matchbox Twenty's repertoire while remaining true to the underlying themes of the band. So while "Leave" expresses a great deal of the loss and anger that Yourself Or Someone Like You was known for, it would not fit on that album. "Leave" illustrates greater maturity and lyrical proficiency. It's just one example of the band's growth.

What prevents the album from being perfect, outside the lyrical dud "Bed Of Lies" is that, in their effort to make rocking songs, the band goes overboard. "Black And White People" and "Stop" especially are auditory jumbles, not quite sure of what they are or what they are supposed to be saying. Lyrically they are generally strong, but the music that backs the lyrics up is confused and, well, just loud.

It's easy to look at front man Rob Thomas and say that he is MatchBox Twenty, but the truth is, on this album, he needs his friends and they deliver for him, for the most part. Paul Doucette is easily one of the hardest working drummers in the business. If they continue to work together in the same positive directions they are heading, Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty seems to point toward the band reaching perfection with the next album. It's just not there yet.

Best track is easily "Mad Season" and the weak link is "Bed Of Lies."

For other rock bands, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Future Games - Fleetwood Mac
Greatest Hits - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Forty Licks - The Rolling Stones

9/10

For other music reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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A Solid Start For Matchbox Twenty With Yourself Or Someone Like You!

The Good: Amazing lyrics, Good overall music, competent vocals
The Bad: Similar sounding tracks
The Basics: Definitely buy Yourself Or Someone Like You if you liked the four Matchbox Twenty singles that were on the radio! Buy with caution if you're prone to depression.


The first drum beats of "Real World," which open the Matchbox Twenty debut Yourself Or Someone Like You are enough to intimidate any listener, especially if that listener was expecting the more docile sounds embedded from the singles "Push" and "Back 2 Good." Matchbox Twenty comes on strong and, fortunately, they ease back on the noise level quickly. For those who did like the softer singles on the radio, most of Yourself Or Someone Like You is like that.

The moment they do ease back from the harsh drums, the album begins to shine because the songs are excellent. That is to say that it is easy to listen to this album and think that the band is trying too hard to be rock. Their best musical moments are in the slow ones, the opening to "Shame" ("What we've learned here's love tastes bitter when it's gone" - what a perfect line!), the whole of "Hang," "Damn." Unfortunately, the band appears to know when they've found the right thing and they have no problem repeating it over and over again. The best rocking the band does is in the lyrically straightforward "Long Day," the album's second track. "Long Day" is a more accessible track to all audiences because the lyrics are more audible, not drown out by the instrumentals.

Unfortunately, the album quickly becomes homogenized in the sound. The band is heavy on guitars, with the occasional piano. But outside those two instruments, there is no musical diversity here. The drums are strong, but the beats they create are just that; the drums can be used to express thoughts and feelings and make music or they can be used as a metronome. In this case, Paul Douchette, the drummer, is relegated to a placeholding spot in the band. The uninspired instrumentals slow down the recognition of how great the lyrics often are.

Outside of several of the songs sounding remarkably similar, the album is thematically cohesive almost to the point of being inbred. It's a wonderful album for when you're down and out or want to get depressed, but it lacks a real catharsis. That is to say, the album never gets out of the mire of loss and pain that envelop the listener. So, despite the heavy guitars and loud, beating drums, this is a somber album and it is unrelenting in the depths it brings the listener down into.

There's an obvious niche that Matchbox Twenty fills, though. Unlike the boy bands that exploded onto the scene around the same time and have endured just to whine into our ears on the radio, Matchbox Twenty is an adult group putting forth real music with great lyrics. The writing here is paramount and they have great instrumentals that they play themselves. It's refreshing to see a group with talent and an evocative musical message.

Rob Thomas' vocals dominate the debut and that's fine because he can sing and he clearly knows the songs he wrote inside and out. This is definitely a rock album and it rocks. Despite the thematic and musical weaknesses, it's a solid beginning. The best track is "Long Day" and the weakest link is "Busted."

For other rock albums, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Definitely Maybe - Oasis
Mer de Noms - A Perfect Circle
Mr. Wonderful - Fleetwood Mac

7/10

See how this album stacks up against others by checking out my index page here with my album reviews in ratings order!

© 2011, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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