Where to start? I first heard of Matchbox 20 late in my 12th year of life, on the radio with the song "Push". All I remember about that tune is that I hated it, and whenever I heard it in the car, I would turn off the stereo. Here I am, a little bit older, a little bit wiser, and I find myself writing up a review of "Mad Season," the follow-up album to their debut, which just happen to feature the afore-mentioned dreaded song and sell over 10 million copies world wide.
Mad Season finds the group in the difficult position that many bands confronted by instant success see themselves in. The pressure is on from the label to produce a product that sells, or get dropped. By the same token, the pressure is on by the critics, pundits, and nay-sayers to make something that isn't a rehash of their prior successes. "Mad Season" sees the group pull through and do the latter, as far as this writer (who isn't a huge fan and doesn't even own their first disc) can tell. The album is peppered with signs of experimentation and musical growth - the second song on the disc, an out and out rock song by the name of "Black And White People" is filled with different horns. There are keyboard and piano parts sprinkled throughout the record, providing the listener a break from the all-too-common "drumsguitarbassvocals" sound that has been force-fed to the music-buying public for the last 40 years. The band also offers up some solid tunes, such as "Last Beautiful Girl" or the closing track "You Won't Be Mine".
For all my singing of the band's praises, there ARE some reasons why "Mad Season" is not getting a perfect score from J. Alexander Vance. Singer Rob Thomas' lyrics are often bland and derivitive (something I am extremely watchful of), and don't provide much to get excited over. There are, obviously, some exceptions, but as a whole, the words that go along with this music actually take AWAY from the enjoyment of listening to the album, because it feels like you've heard them in a million other mid-to-late-1990s alternative rock album. Thomas' unoriginal lyrics aside, Mad Season *is* an enjoyable disc, although I would imagine that people who were already fans of the band would find it more so. Throw on "Mad Season" if you need something to hum along to while hanging out in your room and trying to relax. However, if you're looking for a truly life-changing musical experience, you *probably* won't find it here.
But hey, listen for yourself and find out. Don't let me push you around...
- By: J. Alexander Vance
