matchbox Yourself Or Someone Like You CD

Matchbox 20: Rob Thomas (vocals, acoustic guitar); Kyle Cook, Adam Gaynor (guitar, background vocals); Brian Yale (bass); Paul Doucette (drums).
Recorded at Triclops Recording, Atlanta, Georgia.
"Push" was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
Personnel: Rob Thomas (vocals, acoustic guitar); Kyle Cook (guitar); Amy K. Porter (flute); Ted Gurch (clarinet); Doug Smith (bass clarinet); Yvonne Powers (oboe); Elizabeth Burkhardt (bassoon); Matt Serletic (keyboards, percussion); Paul Doucette (drums).
Audio Mixers: Greg Archilla; Matt Serletic.
Recording information: Triclops Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA.
Editor: Don C. Tyler.
Photographers: Chris Cuffaro; Katrin Thomas.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Elizabeth Burkhardt; Matt Serletic.
Arranger: Matt Serletic.
Yourself or Someone Like You turned out to be the standard-bearer for post-alternative rock because it has a '90s sheen in its production, but, for all the world, its core sounds like classic rock. Lead singer/songwriter Rob Thomas adopted some of Eddie Vedder's vocal mannerisms, but they were smoothed out, lacking the angst and pain that were Vedder's hallmark. Matchbox Twenty functioned much the same way, picking up at Pearl Jam's fascination for album rock, but deciding to stick to the classic blueprint instead of personalizing it. All of this resulted in a record that is much more straightforward than most alt-rock albums, even if it follows the pattern of a classic '90s album -- not just in its production dynamics, but down to the acoustic-based slow number that closes the record. It blends the most familiar elements of the two golden eras of album-oriented rock, finding a balance that is comfortable for mainstream fans of either side. Other bands with similar sounds that could have done the same thing, yet Matchbox Twenty distanced themselves from the pack with sturdy songs and fairly strong hooks, all delivered forcefully with Thomas' distinctive bravado. Their music is not flashy, nor is it as ingratiating as Third Eye Blind's pop instincts. It is, however, solid, American rock, reminiscent of a blend of Petty and Pearl Jam. So, it shouldn't have been surprising when the album found a wide audience. For many observers it was still unexpected, because the sound seemed a little plain. What they didn't realize was that Yourself or Someone Like You wound up being the point where mainstream American rock stopped being willfully eccentric and returned to being unassuming and kind of ordinary. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
On YOURSELF OR SOMEONE LIKE YOU, Matchbox 20's debut, vocalist/lyricist Rob Thomas leads his band down the same path as Counting Crows, to a post-Pearl Jam, Van Morrison/Band-influenced home at the top of the charts. Thomas' raspy voice wraps a romanticized alienation around folky, roots-inflected rock tunes that share the thematic aspirations of Van circa TUPELO HONEY and The Band's self-titled second album, if not their literary wisdom.
Having lived through the grunge breakthrough, the Georgia quintet puts far more `oomph' into their power-chords than those classic rockers ever could. Their best results--the melancholy description of an emotionally isolated lover on "3 AM," the embittered daydream of "Real World," even the upbeat don't-give-a-damn rave-up "Girl Like That"--fit snugly on the same shelf as the aforementioned Crows and fellow crackers Collective Soul.