Exile On Mainstream by Matchbox Twenty

Pros: Some of the hits are very good, a couple of pleasant new tracks.
Cons: Those new tracks are good but not great, missing some of their better material.

My appreciation for Matchbox Twenty is slippery. Ten years ago, when the Twenty was a 20 and the band was more post-grunge than solid pop/rock, I thought they were overplayed and not particularly distinguishable from Tonic and Dishwalla and all the other ...

Pros: Good collection of singles, Moments in the new songs
Cons: Only six new songs, Does not use medium well, Short

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 ...

Pros: Rob Thomas's sexy, excellent voice, good instrumentation and song writing
Cons: "Can't Let You Go" just doesn't fit very well.

Matchbox Twenty came onto the scene in 1996 with their debut Yourself Or Someone Like. Between their albums as a collective whole and Rob Thomas's very well done solo album Something To Be they haven't been far from the radio airwaves ...

Pros: A fine collection from unexpectedly durable band, including at least one fabulous new single
Cons: At least one regrettable (and unnecessary) omission: "Last Beautiful Girl".

Ten years ago, I would have hardly been able to imagine that that new band called Matchbox 20 would last long enough to one day warrant a greatest hits package, much less that I'd be even mildly interested in owning such a thing, much much ...