matchbox twenty - Mad Season

Sell 10 million copies of your debut album and you might find yourself putting on a few airs. Evidence that it's happened to matchbox twenty can be found in the new, spelled-out format of their all-lowercased name and the pretentious insertion of that name into the title of this, their sophomore set. The level of popularity achieved by their 1996 debut, Yourself or Someone Like You, posed a more profound problem, though--should they follow in the footsteps of that smash effort, or strike out in a different direction? To their credit, the Orlando quintet puts their massive popularity on the line by opting mostly for the latter course: there are no obvious retreads here of earlier hits such as "Push," "3 a.m.," and "Real World"--or of "Smooth," the multiple-Grammy-winning Santana hit penned and sung by matchbox frontman Rob Thomas. Instead, the album sports a nice mix of material that is catchy, but may take a little longer to settle into your memory banks, such as the moody yet intense "Bent," the horn-driven rocker "Black & White People," and several songs examining various aspects of relationships, "If You're Gone," "Rest Stop," and "Bed of Lies." Whatever the members of matchbox twenty want to call themselves, these guys may yet be able to have it all--artistic growth as well as massive sales. They're not headed for Hootieville just yet. --Daniel Durchholz Amazon.com

Not impressed

I'm a HUGE fan of MB20's "Yourself or someone like you"--that CD flows so well, not a weak track, high energy, and fun throughout... I bought Mad Season knowing just a couple of the singles and hoping for a similar experience but have been disappointed so far. That said, I usually have to listen to a CD 6-7 times at least before I really enjoy it.

MB20's sound is quite different on this CD from "Yourself or someone like you": it's too polished and pretty, and there's this Chicago-esque trumpet that plays on several tracks without really adding anything, and seems to really distract from the sound that I expected from these guys. Rob Thomas' voice sounds great as always, but the songwriting and energy are lacking here. There are certainly a few good tracks (Crutch, If You're Gone, Mad Season, Rest Stop and Bent), but the weak tracks in between prevent the CD from finding its groove or any kind of momentum. And all in all, this album doesn't seem to be anywhere near as fun as I was expecting from MB20. The CD finishes very weakly, especially with the 10-minute orchestrated depression-fest that is "You Won't Be Mine".

All that said, you can get this CD for about $0.25+S&H on Amazon, which certainly is worth it, at least for the singles on here.
November 2, 2008

Spectacular

There are some albums that you buy, listen to for awhile, and then put away to collect dust on a darkened shelf, only to see the light when you occasionally find them again. Then there are the records that, despite their age, still remain on your playlist, allowing you to sing along with the windows rolled down and drum on your steering wheel. "Mad Season", Matchbox Twenty's 2000 release, is of this latter variety. Eight years on, the album is still fresh and says what it needs to say.

After making a name for themselves with "Yourself or Someone Like You" in the late 1990s, Matchbox Twenty released "Mad Season". Upon listening to the record, there are several differences that are immediately noticable. Most obviously, it is a decidedly angry record. With songs like 'Angry' and the line "I think there's still a piece of my heart on your face" in 'Crutch', it is evident that the band was taking out some aggression on the record.

However, what separates this from other MB20 albums is its complete musicality. Rather than just featuring guitars, piano, and drums, the band has a brass accompaniment throughout many songs. Sounding similar to what Chicago did in the 1970s, this adds a depth of emotion to the record, while still retaining its rock and roll flair.

Without a doubt, this is my favorite Matchbox Twenty record? Why? With heart-wrenching songs like 'Bed of Lies' and 'If You're Gone', the tunes are a bit softer - yet angrier - than other records. And it's this clash of feeling that makes the record spectacular. June 14, 2008

For a few songs

Basically got this CD because of one song but found several others worthwihle. Besides several of these guys are from my hometown area. March 10, 2008

Seasonal Sensation

You get the feeling no-one was more surprised by the ten million sold success of Yourself or Someone Like You than Rob Thomas and his mates in Matchbox Twenty. Thomas's Grammy wining turn with Santana on "Smooth" elevated the MB20 profile as well. Before their second album was complete, they'd become mammoth. It set expectations for their sophomore album to unrealistic levels.

To their credit, "Mad Season" delivered. The band was more confident, tighter, had songs better than or equal to their debut, and Thomas had jumped in his skills as a singer. He'd become more nuanced, self-assured. The production was richer than that on the debut. Where YoSLY was primarily a guitar album, "Mad Season" mixed in horns, strings and other production minutia to make the band sound stronger. The number one single, "Bent," rocked harder than anything on the debut.

Even stronger was the lead track, "Angry." It combined MB20's love of radio-rock with the 90's grunge-lite that had become so popular; think Pearl Jam with a much calmer Eddie Veder (or more to the point, Third Eye Blind). But Thomas had become skilled enough to add other elements, be it the lovesick yelp in "Bent" or the soft-sell on the ballads like "If You're Gone." It made the biggest surprise on "Mad Season" the fact that Matchbox 20 were now superstars and willing to be a huge mainstream rock act. It set the tone for both the band's future releases and Thomas's solo act; in my opinion, this was their best work. October 23, 2007

truely a Mad Season- an angry, personal expression

Both rocking drives and easy ballads are here, but the overall tone is a bitter, angry, hurtful and confused breakup. Hearing Rob's happier, more hopeful songs a few years later makes it all okay... we all get over it, time makes it better, and we move on. We just don't all have the eloquence to express it the way Mad Season does. October 13, 2007

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