Latest Release
- NOV 22, 2023
- 1 Song
- Yourself or Someone Like You · 1996
- Yourself or Someone Like You · 1996
- Exile On Mainstream · 2002
- Mad Season (Deluxe Version) · 2000
- Yourself or Someone Like You · 1996
- Mad Season (Deluxe Version) · 2000
- Exile On Mainstream · 2007
- Yourself or Someone Like You · 1996
- North (Deluxe Version) · 2012
- The Matchbox Twenty Collection · 2002
Essential Albums
- After selling some 12 million copies of their first release, Yourself or Someone Like You, it’s surprising that Matchbox Twenty waited nearly four years before releasing their sophomore follow up, Mad Season. But as it turns out the gap didn’t hurt either their songwriting or their sales as this release went platinum many times over on the strength of these 13 radio-friendly tunes. Featuring catchy melodies, sharp riffs, and lots of big choruses, this album is a bit brighter and more dynamic than their guitar-crunching debut, with more keyboards and even some horns thrown in for texture. The real constant is Rob Thomas’ rich voice, which is truly the band’s calling card and the sound around which these songs, most of which Thomas wrote, are based. A consummate mainstream arena rock singer, he’s smooth in all the right spots on the ballads and husky and driving on the rockers, and he can belt out a tune without going overboard with contrived emotion. A solid collection of modern rock done well.
- Released in late 1996, Matchbox Twenty’s debut release Yourself or Someone Like You went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide, making them one of the most popular rock bands of the late ‘90s. This wide appeal is easy to understand given the band’s emphasis on crunchy guitars, big choruses, memorable riffs and, most significantly, the impassioned vocals of Rob Thomas, the lead singer and principal songwriter. Thomas possesses a powerful voice that easily shifts from silky smooth to aching growl, and more than anything it’s his distinct vocals that give Matchbox Twenty their signature sound. Striking the right balance between studio polish and raw energy, the album is filled with catchy melodies that are easy to sing along with and the hooks to back them up. Most of the songs are up-tempo fist-pumpers, but there are a few slow burners that showcase the band’s softer side as well. Ultimately, Yourself or Someone Like You works well because it’s modeled on the kind of guitar-based classic rock that just doesn’t get old—particularly when it’s done this well.
- 2012
- 2012
- 2012
- 2012
- 2012
Artist Playlists
- Trailblazers of ‘90s and ‘00s alternative pop rock.
Singles & EPs
About Matchbox Twenty
Over the course of the ‘90s, many local music scenes were hyped as the “next Seattle”—but Orlando, Florida, was not among them. Yet the city yielded one of the biggest phenomena of the alt-rock era in Matchbox Twenty, a group that epitomized the sound of grunge growing up and mellowing out. On their 1996 debut, Yourself or Someone Like You, the band positioned themselves as the missing link between Pearl Jam and Hootie & The Blowfish, by tempering the restless angst of frontman Rob Thomas in a warm folk-rock jangle on breakout singles “Push” and “3 am.” The crossover success of those songs on both modern-rock and Adult Top 40 formats helped drive sales of the record past the 10 million mark in the U.S., and transformed Thomas into a bona fide pop star—the sort who gets hand-picked by Clive Davis to bring some contemporary cachet to a new Santana album and winds up commandeering the biggest single of the guitar god’s career, 1999’s eternal summer jam “Smooth.” Thomas’ burgeoning career as a solo artist (and songwriter for stars spanning Mick Jagger to Marc Anthony) has meant Matchbox Twenty only released four albums in their first quarter-century as a band. But even when they take a decade between records, their singular balance of grit and grace remains intact.
- ORIGIN
- Orlando, FL, United States
- FORMED
- 1995
- GENRE
- Pop