20 times better than the average album (Yourself Or Someone Like You - Matchbox Twenty)

Member Name: magenta23

Product:	Yourself Or Someone Like You - Matchbox Twenty
Date:	08/01/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Writing, Performance, Vocals.

Disadvantages: None

I've reviewed Matchbox 20's latest offering on Dooyoo already, and I thought I'd review their back catalogue too! For those of you unfamiliar with the band, they are a 5 piece US rock group fronted by Rob Thomas, who is probably more famous than his band over here after solo success with 'Lonely no More' and the duet 'Smooth' with Carlos Santana.

'Yourself or Someone Like You' was Matchbox 20's first album released back in 1996. It a firm favourite of mine and one that I constantly go back to and play again. It's one of those albums that you don't need to listen a few times to get into. I instantly fell in love with the music on first listen. Since this debut they've constantly delivered and their songs don't get tired on repeat listenings. I think this is why Matchbox Twenty fans really do stay true fans.

If you are familiar with Rob Thomas' solo offerings you get the genre that Matchbox fits into, but don't think they are on a par. Talented as he is, I felt that his solo efforts were not a patch on Matchbox 20's music and I hope they continue producing albums as good as this one. Yes, they fit into the rock category, but they are not heavy by any means.. think Bon Jovi with more clever lyrics and no leather.

Rob's fantastic voice and emotional, sometimes bitchy lyrics combined with stick in your head melodies make every track on this album a winner...

1- 'Real World' opens the album, an upbeat track about wandering what's it like to be a superhero, amoungst other things, silly in places..but after a few listens you'll have picked up the words and will be singing along.
BEST LYRIC - 'I get this funky high on yellow sun' 9/10

2- 'Long Day' brings the mood down a little. This track is about a guy who's girl has left. Emotional and Thomas sings it so you believe every word he's saying.
BEST LYRIC - 'I can't get myself to go away' 10/10

3- '3am' Another slow, emotional one about a strained relationship. They included this one in their recent album 'Exile on Mainstream' as a 'best of' and rightly so as it's a fantastic track.
BEST LYRIC- 'She thinks that happiness is a mat that sits on her doorway' 8/10

4- 'Push' Starts of slowly, but it's really bulids up to, in a way, almost theatrical end with some powerful vocals.
BEST LYRIC- 'my face don't seem to wanna shine cuz it's a little bit dirty' 8/10

5- 'Girl Like That' This is a favourite, upbeat and punchy. It's about an impossible girl and the chorus is brilliant.
BEST LYRIC - 'Well you got to think with a girl like that any love at all is better than nothing' 10/10

6- 'Back 2 Good' No, it's not a Take That cover, actually it's not as good. I think this is low point of the album, at at over 5 minutes the longest. Still not a bad track though, and lesser bands would be proud of it.
BEST LYRIC - 'everyone here hates everyone for doing just like they do' 6/10

7- 'Damn' I love this track. One for one of those days when you hates the world!
BEST LYRIC - 'This old world well don't it make you wanna think Damn?' 10/10

8- 'Argue' Not as aggressive a song as you may think from the title. A short but strong track.
BEST LYRIC - 'I still believe in ignorance as my best defense' 9/10

9- 'Kody' A melancholy track, has a different from the others, in the third person, tells the story of a lonely guy who hits the bottle.
BEST LYRIC - 'If you've never heard that silence, it's a God awful sound' 8/10

10- 'Busted' A breathless, dramatic track that dramatic and sounds best loud! A real favourite, I love this track.
BEST LYRIC - 'I heard the sound like fifteen strangers dancing' 10/10

11- 'Shame' This isn't one of the best tracks on the album, for me it lack the attitude of the others in the vocals. For me, it's a skipper.
BEST LYRIC -'funny in a certain light how we all look the same' 6/10

12- 'Hang' A brilliant but sad end to the album. A really great break up song about moving away, but not really wanting to. It's almost talked through. One to really listen to, not sing along but a great track.
BEST LYRIC- 'she's been here too few years to feel this old' 9/10


All in all, if you haven't discovered Matchbox Twenty then give this a listen, and for those of you that have it, dig it out and listen again. In my opinion there's not a band to can match their songwriting and delivery. Plus they're great live.

Summary: Listen to this