More Than You Think You Are

by

Matchbox Twenty

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Well, matchbox twenty have done it again. The new album, More Than You Think You Are (love the title, by the way), is full of great hooks, brilliant lyrics, fabulous instrumentation, and soulful vocals from band members Rob Thomas, Kyle Cook, Paul Doucette, Adam Gaynor, and Brian Yale. The album is a bit of a throwback to 70's rock, which is something we haven't heard for a long time.

Some standouts are the first single, Disease, which Rob cowrote with Mick Jagger, and has a disco-latin-old rock kind of feel.

"Bright Lights" is my favorite track on the album - it starts out with a solo piano, and Rob's voice, then builds to a beautiful climax, with a little breath of Black Crowes in it. It's absolutely beautiful.

"Unwell" is another favorite, with a great hook: "I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell/I know right now you can't tell/But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see/A different side of me..." Fantastic.

Rob shares songwriting credits on this album with drummer Paul Doucette and lead guitarist Kyle Cook on one track: the hard-rocking "Feel" , And rhythm guitarist Adam Gaynor is listed as cowriter on "Soul", along with Rob and Kyle. It's exciting to see that the band has many great writers in it. Paul also wrote "Could I Be You" on his own, and it came out beautifully.

The lyrics in "The Difference" are amazing, the gospel choir in "Downfall" will send shivers down your spine,"You're So Real"'s infectuous beat will be stuck in your head for days, and The hidden track, "So Sad, So Lonely" will have you dancing around your room - I can't wait to see it live.

I cannot say enough good things about this album. It is definitely a big step forward for the band. A great album all around. Highly recommended.

This album is nowhere near as strong as their last two efforts. But it is still better than most of the stuff out there.

I love to hear a band stretch themselves and try new things. My problem with this Matchbox twenty CD is that they don't do that enough. It seems you have heard many of these songs from matchbox twenty before. Sure, there are good pop/rock songs on here, but nothing stands out as being "Oh my god, did you hear that?" Which is what I get every time I listen to their previous discs. It seems like Rob and the boys are comfortable now that they've made it big. And that comfortableness is a bit boring. The songs don't seem as personal now-more like just stories that they are telling, not that they have experienced. And when they do push their limits by bringing in a choir for a gospel feel on "downfall", it simply doesn't seem to fit.

With all that said, there are moments that are still well worth the money. "Feel" is great. "Bright Lights" sounds a little bit like his Christmas song (or vice versa), but that doesn't stop it from being a solid tune. I love "Disease"'s opening rhythm stutters. "You're so real", and "The difference" are both good as well. In fact, probably the best song on here is the one that is hidden, "So sad, so lonely". It pushes the matchbox20 envelope more than any other track and pulls it off better than any track. All in all a solid cd. Just not a great one.