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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
The sound of Southern rock gets a facelift for the '90s on Yourself or Someone Like You, the record that made Florida's Matchbox 20 a success story. Rob Thomas's charismatic and passionate vocal delivery carries this collection of captivating, personal-story songs, based on honest, heart-felt lyrics rich with cathartic emotion. Anyone who's felt so scarred by love that they can't imagine taking the chance of getting hurt again will relate to a song like "Push" (an exhilarating feminist anthem disguised as just another relationship-on-the-rocks song). A much-needed break from the alternative pack. --Gail Worley

Customer Reviews: Read 610 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

This is an excellent CD! March 10, 2000
38 out of 41 found this review helpful

"Yourself..." is a superb CD! I've bought it 2 years ago and ever since then I've been a huge fan of the band. It's not too original, granted, which is why most music critics don't like it... BUT if you just want to listen to some good music, this is THE CD for you. It includes spectacular singles like "Push", "3 am" and "Real World", as well as a couple of awesome songs that never made it as singles ("Shame", "Kody" and "Hang", to name a few). There's faster stuff here as well as slower stuff, enough to please any music fan. What I love most about this CD, however, is that it's very earnest and from the heart. When Rob Thomas is singing the lyrics to "Back 2 Good", let's say, you can really feel that it has all happened to him... This CD isn't JUST a collection of radio-friendly pop tunes, it also possesses meaning to anyone who's been through a bad relationship, or just a bad time in their life in general. I also highly recommend (even though Matchbox 20 does not endorse it) the CD by Rob's previous band, Tabitha's Secret. It's called "Don't Play With Matches". If you like "Yourself...", I guarantee you you'll love that one as well!

3 out of 5 stars

Not the stereotypical Cookie Cutter Alternative Rock Mold March 10, 2005
26 out of 32 found this review helpful

As the 1990s music landscape progressed into the second half of the decade, music that was categorized as Alternative Rock was now becoming mainstream. One band that emerged from the pack was Matchbox 20. Much of this is due to their talented lead vocalist Rob Thomas - who also is their songwriter. In addition credit can be given to a very talented supporting band - that helps bring out the best in Rob Thomas. Matchbox 20's debut album "Yourself or Someone Like You" was an album that helped put them ahead of the pack of Alternative Rock bands. While I wouldn't categorize this collection as a revolutionary or groundbreaking album, there still is some good music on here - and that helps set Matchbox 20 apart from the others.

As far as Alternative Rock goes. This was originally a term that was a "catch all" to describe those genres of music that didn't fit into the mainstream. In the 80s, you had Punk, New Wave, College Rock, Underground music, etc. All of these were considered Alternative Rock. One genre that evolved as an offshoot was Grunge. Nirvana really was leading the movement here. I looked at Grunge as integrating elements of Guitar Based (to a minor extent acoustic elements) with some of the elements found in the various genres that fell into Alternative Rock. Many called Grunge, "The Seattle Sound". As Nirvana led this revolution in the industry, they helped bring not just Grunge - but the entire Alternative Rock movement into the mainstream. One such band that emerged were the Gin Blossoms. I think the Gin Blossoms took the next step in this revolution of the Alternative Rock movement. While Nirvana brought Alternative into the Mainstream, the Gin Blossoms steered them to the front of the pack. The Gin Blossom's emergence meant that Alternative Rock was something that could no longer be ignored. However, I think there was a backlash with the Alternative Rock movement - a backlash that has probably lasted almost 10 years. This backlash has been the emergence of the "cookie cutter" artists. In other words much of the Alternative Rock music that started to emerge in the late 1990s began to sound almost the same - whether it was the vocals, the guitar chords, or drum beats. This is where I feel Matchbox 20 has the sweet spot. Despite what many critics have said, they have avoided becoming another "cookie cutter" artist.

Matchbox 20 seems to adopt a very simple formula for this album - simple songs. The titles of the songs themselves are real simple. No song has a title more than 3 words and 8 songs (if you count 3am) have 1 word titles. Most of the content of the songs are simple - basically tracks about everyday life. There basically are no political or personal agendas in the music. With this simple formula, Matchbox 20 may seem primed to fall into the "cookie cutter" formula, but they don't. This is where the talent of Rob Thomas comes in - as a vocalist and as a songwriter. Thomas as a vocalist has a basically has a cross between a soulful and raspy voice. It is one of the most unique in the business. Many people know Thomas for performing lead vocals on Santana's "Smooth" (argubly the best record of the 1990s). Thomas brings the same high level vocals to "Yourself of Someone Like You". One other thing to note - Rob Thomas is one talented songwriter (Thomas also wrote "Smooth"). He might not write very deep lyrics, but he does an excellent job at putting together some very catchy lyrics.

Don't forget about the rest of the band - they are able to support Thomas' talent very well. Matchbox 20's sound is heavily guitar laden. These guitar efforts are led by guitarists Kyle Cook and Adam Gaynor as well as Brian Yale's Bass. They also have an outstanding drummer in Paul Doucette.

The collection's best track is the opening one. "Real World" is simply an outstanding track. This song deals with dreaming about being someone else and then coming back to reality. The lyrics are simple, but catchy - (when Thomas sings lines like "I wonder what it's like to be a super hero" or "I wonder what it's like to be the head honcho" - that's as catchy as you can get) The real strength of this track is the terrific guitar work that takes place. This was a big radio hit. This collection also contains songs "3 am" and "Push". These two tracks aren't quite in the class of "Real World", but are good tracks. Both tracks have more of an acoustic feel to it as the song starts as the electric guitars come in at the chorus.

Matchbox 20 also shows they do things outside the box. An underrated track is "Back 2 Good". For this song there is a woodwinds section that plays in the background. This gives the song a unique feel. While not the best track by any means, the last track "Hang" is interesting. Thomas and Cook swap roles with Cook taking the lead vocals and Thomas playing guitar. Other tracks like "Long Day", "Girl Like That", "Kody" and "Damn" are very good as well. The other tracks that I have mentioned aren't quite as strong, but there are no bad songs in the collection

The liner notes contain all of the lyrics to each of the tracks. All of the musician and band credits are listed. There is a "Thank You" section where the band thanks a bunch of people - including individual "Thank Yous" by each of the five band members. Again, while I don't think this an all-time great - it is a good collection. Matchbox 20 showed a lot for a debut band and are able to break from the Alternative Rock mold. The potential is there for greatness. I'd recommend checking this out.

5 out of 5 stars

"Matchbox 20" strikes not only gold, but 10x platnium too... March 29, 2000
20 out of 22 found this review helpful

"Yourself or Somebody Like You", the debut effort of Matchbox 20 is simply brilliant. Most of the released singles are well known due to excessive air play, but this album is full of incredible music. There is not a bad song on this album. Matchbox 20 has been made trendy by teeny boppers and yuppies, unfairly labeling the band in some ways as a joke. The music is catchy and poppy, but not synthesized or studio created. This is genuine, soulful rock, just with a lighter edge. However, the most amazing thing are the lyrics. You can open the booklet and feel like you are reading poetry, full of truth and insight that only the likes of Rob Thomas could pen. His unique voice breathes life into his words, creating powerful songs which give purpose to pop radio again. Besides the well-known songs "Push", "3 am", "Real World", and "Back to Good", there are other incredible songs which deserve time. Ranging from the beautifully candid "Long Day" to the snappy "Girl Like That", to the intense "Kody", the album's music reflects the diverse genius of the band. Experiencing homelessness and other pain, lead singer Rob Thomas said he spent his whole life writing this album - seen vividly in the quality of the music and the clever lyrics.

3 out of 5 stars

good, but quickly plays itself out February 7, 2000
13 out of 17 found this review helpful

rob has a pretty good voice, in an unusually twangy way. and the songs are really good, they fit his voice. the band has good support, backing up this voice well. and the songs quickly found their way into my head.

only one problem...this all happened four years ago. and this is the kind of cd that is good for about a year, and then you get sick of it all, from the angry lyrics of 'push' (which you not only saw on mtv 5,000 times but that some radio stations still refuse to drop) to the more upbeat 'real world' (i really don't care what it's like to be a super hero anymore)and the slightly annoying from the beginning '3am' (because it just was sooo happy it would drive me crazy).

even that twang in rob's voice has started to remotly annoy me, and i have all but stopped listening to this cd until my friend came over (this is her fav band) and i played it all night.

the real question here is...where is the follow up? we need more songs! matchbox 20 has shown that they can sing, write, and produce hits. now they need to prove that they can do it twice! because 3 years ago, this album would have gotten all five stars from me.

the songs that i can still stand here are: 'damn', 'hang', and 'kody'.

the songs that i have always disliked are 'back 2 good', 'shame', 'busted', and 'girl like that'.

a good example of what happens when a good band delays on a follow up.

buy it if you have never heard some of these songs. it is really great for awhile.

5 out of 5 stars Amazing stuff September 30, 2001
10 out of 12 found this review helpful

Matchbox 20 are:
Lead vocals : Rob Thomas
Lead guitar : Kyle Cook
Rhythm guitar : Adam Gaynor
Bass : Brian Yale
and Drums : Paul Doucette.

Now that you feel like friends with Matchbox 20 we can get on with the review.

Real World kicks off with a catchy riff and a flurry of drums, followed closely by Rob Thomas' very American voice, sometimes growly, always amazing. Anyone who knows Santana's Smooth will have heard it, as he does lead vocals. This song is lively, catchy and the chorus ends with a line we can all relate to "I wish the real world would just stop hassling me". So true.

Long Day starts off with soft guitar backed up again by Rob, and after a few seconds bursts into life with strong guitar and huge vocals once more. Has a slight religious theme, but you wouldn't even notice it without reading the lyrics as the chorus is nothing more than a jumble of words. Another great lyric in the bridge of this song is "Reach down your hand in your pocket, pull out some hope for me". Short but sweet.

3 am, I believe was another single. I've always felt sorry for this song, just as I do for Airbag on Radiohead's OK Computer as people flick track to move onto better tracks, in Radiohead's case the masterpiece that is Paranoid Android, and in this case Push. Having said that, this is a perfectly enjoyable track with little guitar riffs every now and then and an incredible chorus. Yet it just doesn't have the power of...

Push, possibly the best song on the album. Incredibly emotional vocals, backed only by strumming guitar lead into the chorus which has such a charge it's hard not to love it. Just before the last chorus there is a drum roll that is good I just can't help playing air drums. I can listen to this track a hundred times a day and not get bored. Just outstanding, one of my favourite songs of all time.

Girl Like That has a quick guitar lead-in before giving way to Rob shouting his way through the track backed only by occasional strong guitar strums. Another one of the outstanding chorus which make Matchbox 20 really worth listening to. Not far off the best tracks on the album.

Back 2 Good is the longest track on the album at 5:40 and easily one of the best. Very slow, with another remarkable showing on vocals once more. Slightly sad with a little chorus of na-on-ha which looks stupid but sounds exceptionally good. Near the end of the song the vocals turn growly, and makes the song extremely noteworthy. Excellent.

Damn has a slow kick of drums with laid-back vocals and a slight edge to the chorus, that nudges it ahead of a lot of the tracks on the album though far simpler than most of the songs on the album. It has a slight attempt at a guitar solo, but guitar is never meant to be the strong point of Matchbox 20. Not too shabby a song all together.

Argue is short and extremely similar to some of the other songs on the album, except for a chorus which really makes an otherwise plain song. I usually miss this song when I'm listening to the album. I get quite a strong whiff of filler off this track, never a good sign.

Kody makes up for it. Smooth, casual and beautiful, this is definitely one of the high points of the album. it also has my favourite lyric from the album which goes like this : ""And there it is, and there it was, now it was clear to all of us, we kept this hat of broken dreams and we pulled them out, when we needed them around" Sheer brilliance, a prime example of the sort of music that stands Matchbox 20 apart from other bands.

Busted is my least favourite song off the album. Completly out of place and out of charcacter, this is Matchbox's attempt at a rock song. It fails miserably. I'm just thankful that they realised on the second album that they are not a rock band, and do not attempt another song of this calibre. Let's move quickly on to...

Shame is another slow song, a great reminder what Matchbox 20 of do best after the horrible Busted. the band let the voice of Rob Thomas take over again to add that little bit of magic into a song which might be quite dull under another singer's vocals. Also it sounds like he's saying Shane. Always wins point with me, have you ever heard the Pixie's Debaser? He says it there in the chorus (-; But enough nonsense on to the last track.

Hang represents for me everything I love in a song, a strong vocalists, great lyrics and acoustic guitar, keeping it simple and emerging the other end with another masterpiece to your credit. Superb.

This album has one or two songs which might have been better left out altogether yet they also have one or two songs which deserve far greater recognition. This is definitely worth a look.

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