1) Feel - 8/10 Great Song, Very good beat and words
2) Disease - 8.5/10 Good rock song co-written by Mick Jagger, reminds me of the old Matchbox days
3) Bright Lights - 7/10 Good, slower song, shows just how diverse this group is, Next Single
4) Unwell - 10/10 - Favorite song on this cd and maybe my favorite Matchbox song ever. "I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell, I know right now you can't tell" Those words are so true to life. Just goes to show you why Rob Thomas won best Songwriter of the Year.
5) Cold - 9/10 - Great song, one of the more hard rock songs on this cd with an excellent chorus
6) All I Need - 9/10 Catchy, softer rock song, It's one of those songs where I can just find myself singing it all day long without realizing it
7) Hand Me Down - 8/10 - Good song about lives that aren't as rich as one would like them to be, great meaning behind it
8) Could I Be You - 7/10 - Not a bad song
9) Downfall - 9.5/10 - Great different sound for Matchbox, even bringing in a church choir to sing, it's also known for it's great lyrics
10) Soul - 8.5/10 - Great song, my interpretation is about a person who doesn't really fit in and gets teased a lot, but on the inside they have a great talent and a lot of soul
11) You're So Real - 7.5/10 - Pretty good song with a catchy beat and as always lyrics that will always blow your mind and wonder just how they continue to write them.
12) The Difference - 8/10 - Good song by Matchbox, Slower beat, I liked it but you can decide for yourself
13) So Sad So Lonely - 6.5/10 - Hidden Track, listen 4 minutes into The Difference to find it. Probably my least favorite song but still not bad. It appears to be a negative song on the cover but underneath it really has a positive meaning.

All in all, this cd is one of Matchbox 20's three best. I'm only saying it like that because I liked all three cds and I can't decide which one I liked the most, and thankfully I don't have to. You should check it out.


AMAZING!   November 20, 2002
 30 out of 32 found this review helpful

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.


Matchbox Twenty - Hits you so much harder than you thought   November 20, 2002
 19 out of 20 found this review helpful

MB20- you've got soul!
I admit that I was skeptical about whether or not Matchbox Twenty could pull off a successful album after the incredible Mad Season (probably my favorite album ever) but I was pleasently surprised.

I just got the new Matchbox Twenty cd and I was instantly hooked. All of the tracks are spiked with energy- what a rush. Rob told Launch magazine that when he compared this cd to his others "This record is louder....On this one, there's more of an organic sound." This is definately noticable from the first note of the first track, until the last cackle on the hidden track at the end. "It's always heavy into everything" (John Mayer). The band's sound is more developed and takes a lot of risks. I think what I really love about this new cd is the great variety of tracks. Their single Disease seems to be a compilation of salsa, jazz, and hard rock! The other tracks are no less eclectic; some songs seem to have a country influence, while others have back-up vocals from gospel choirs. The beautiful slow songs are still present, and there is no lack for good hard-rock ones either. Basically there is something for everyone, especially if you are a matchbox twenty fan. This cd IS different than Yourself or Someone Like You and Mad Season, but it is just as good.
Tracks that I reccomend- oh my god ALL OF THEM! heh heh...
#3 Bright Lights-- good slow song, can really appreciate Rob's voice.
#4 Unwell-- creepy and addictive
#9 Downfall-- Rob and a Gospel Choir, an odd yet beautiful collaboration

Go ahead, fall in love with Matchbox Twenty all over again.


A guilty pleasure   November 24, 2002
 18 out of 35 found this review helpful

I'm not exactly a Matchbox Twenty fan. I always have considered there music a bit on the bland side in comparison to most of the music I listen to. I own their other two albums and definitely weren't impressed with a lot of their songs. I do like quite a few of their songs considering how catchy and infectious they are but overall, I don't think there is anything to write home about. I was watching VH1's Behind the Music on the band when I heard a sample of "Unwell" on the show and I found myself hooked, if not curious to hear the rest of the band's album. "Disease" isn't too terrible either. It sure as heck anywhere as awful as "Bent" and "Mad Season" were, let alone Rob's collaboration with Carlos Santana on "Smooth". Thank god! The band did not include the song on their new album. Anyways I came across a promo copy of "More Than You Think You Are" in the used cd bins today as I was doing some Christmas shopping. I decided to take a risk on this album despite my somewhat disdain for this band. After listening to the album twice today, I definitely have to say that "More Than You Think You Are" takes the band in the right direction with a more diverse sound in their music. The gospel-influenced "Downfall" really speaks volumes to how much of a risk the band took. I give them major points for that song alone. Of course I loved "Unwell" after hearing the entire song. That is definitely one of my favorite MB20 songs of all time. I didn't care for the opening track "Feel" though. Just got on my nerves like "Mad Season" did for me. The songwriting has gotten better. A bit more reflective and introspective, and a whole lot more sincerity in my opinion. "Bright Lights" is a gorgeous piano ballad that took my breath away. I will take that song over "Back 2 Good" any day. If Matchbow Twenty's music continues to evolve in this direction, I may change my mind about the band altogether. Until then, "More Than You Think You Are" is a big guilty pleasure for this non-fan.


More than you think they are.....   January 11, 2003
 18 out of 21 found this review helpful

I wasn't a fan of matchbox 20 until I heard "Disease" on the radio. I asked my friends about them and if they thought they were a good band. Surprised, many of my friends said they had no idea. So, being adventerous I downloaded a couple songs from this CD. WOW! I was amazed! The lyrics are deep and meaningful, the music is just right, and the singing was amazing. I got this CD for christmas and i couldn't be happier. Heres the breakdown of the CD:

1. Feel - Awsome song! Great lyrics! 4/5
2. Disease - the song that started it all for me! I LOVE THIS SONG! Awsome lyrics. 5/5
3. Bright Lights - touching song, good lyrics 4/5
4. Unwell - I LOVE THIS SONG! Beautiful lyrics 5/5
5. Cold - Awsome lyrics, a good song. 4/5
6. All I Need - interesting lyrics, nice song. 4/5
7. Hand Me Down - Honest lyrics about changing for someone else. I love it! 5/5
8. Could I Be You - Cool lyrics, about wanting to be someone else. 4/5
9. Downfall - ok...I don't really understand this song and therefore didn't like it much. It's good though. 3/5
10. Soul - beautiful lyrics, made me cry. love it! 5/5
11. Your So Real - AWSOME song! about proving yourself. 5/5
12. The Difference - kinda sad, but good 4/5
13. Hidden Track - dunno what its called, but i didn't really like it 3/5