When you come out of nowhere and sell 10 million copies of your debut record, as Florida's Matchbox 20 did in 1997, needless to say your sophomore effort is eagerly anticipated, and expectations for said album are almost unattainable. So it is with no real surprise that the band, who now spells the Twenty out, comes up a bit short on this record, entitled Mad Season by Matchbox Twenty. However, it is a tad better than their sometimes bland and boring debut, Yourself or Someone Like You.

On Yourself, the band came up with a formula and rolled with it, all the way to the humongous sales that I mentioned at the top of my review. Catchy guitar hook, some sort of lyrical hook, and decent songwriting. Thomas' lyrics weren't anything too special but they certainly were better than half of the stuff on the market.

Mad Season is a giant leap forward for the band, as they incorporate horns, strings, and a lot more focus on being better songwriters. There is no definable pattern here. The album is a good mix of songs that radio would love and a few excellent album cuts that radio should love but probably wouldn't support.

Mind you, I hated this band back when their previous hits like Push and Real World were being played ad nauseum. Well, ok, hate is a bit too strong of an adjective, but I was sick to death of them. I really only gave this album a shot on the advice of a well trusted friend. He said it was a lot different and that while I wouldn't love it, it would probably surprise me in a big way. He was right.

The first two tracks on the album are 2 of the best album tracks I've heard in a very long time from a band with such a commercial reputation. Angry is Rob Thomas' best songwriting job to date, perfectly conveying everyone's feelings when you just need to move on and not be p*ssed off at the world anymore.

The second track, Black and White People, is a perfect rock/pop number with horns. This song is completely irresistible, and reminds me of some of the old guard of rock, like John Mellancamp and Tom Petty. But it remains original thanks to the deft horn work on the bridge.

Unfortunately, the album doesn't keep this momentum up. The radio singles are still bland. Lead single Bent is very reminiscent of the band's previous singles. I'm not impressed with this song at all, and don't understand the band choosing this as the first single. It certainly doesn't show off the growth that this album represents for the band nearly as well as either of the two tracks mentioned above.

Second single If You're Gone isn't so bad, other than the fact I think I've heard this song 20 or 30 times before. The riff is a direct rip off of Tal Bachman's She's So High that was a hit back in 2000.

The band immediately redeems themselves with the southern rock sound of the title track. But that's the whole problem with this record. It's a large mixed bag. One song is great, the next one is something you've heard a bunch of times before, all in the last 6 months.

Overall, Mad Season was a nice surprise in that it features about a half dozen or so (give or take one or two) solid songs that seemingly came out of nowhere and bit you right on the rear end. However, it also was disappointing in that you've heard what the band is capable of and you get frustrated that they refuse to make a full album of that quality.

This certainly is not a must have album, but if you were like me and hated Matchbox Twenty before, this album may at least give you a bit of a different perspective of them. I know it did for me.






Recommended: No