By Aimee Jewell–

Matchbox Twenty’s newest album, “North,” hit shelves Tuesday, September 4, nearly an entire decade since their last studio release. Fans held high hopes for the fifth CD released by the Grammy-nominated, hit-generating nineties band. “She’s So Mean” is the first single off of the album and is currently ranked number eight on the Adult Contemporary chart, proving a good start for the band’s comeback. But how easy is it to release an entire album after a ten year hiatus?

Unfortunately, not as easy as the gang might think. Still donning front man, Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty’s new bubble-gum pop ballads are mixed in with some strong beats and slow melodies as the band attempts to make their new album more relevant and less Matchbox. Unlike their Grammy Award nominated anthem “Unwell,” and the ever-so-popular “If You’re Gone” and “Bent” (just to name a few),“North” sounds like an entirely different entity. With honest lyrics and foot-tapping beats, Matchbox Twenty has created an album like their previous releases. However, their overall sound is what has thrown listeners for a loop. After a ten year period, supporters expected “North” to be Matchbox Twenty’s greatest album to date. Yet despite fans’ hopes, Matchbox has failed to deliver.

Possessing a more modern sound than before, Thomas and the boys seem as though they’re striving for something that just can’t be reached. It is not to say that “North” is not a quality pop album. “Put Your Hands Up” and “Our Song” are beat-heavy and contemporary, urging listeners’ to shake what their mamas gave them. However, the get-up-and-dance singles are contradicted by slow, solemn tunes, such as “Sleeping at the Wheel” and “English Town.” The album is not consistent and proves to be a constant rollercoaster of emotions for anyone listening. With an album title such as “North” and 10 years to work on new material, one would think synchronization on the record would come naturally. But sadly, this is not the case.

At the beginning of a FoxNews.com interview, Thomas shared that instead of bringing his own work to the table like he did for previous albums, the band started from scratch with “North,” and composed the songs together rather than letting Thomas take the creative reins. With nearly 60 songs to choose from, the band had a difficult time picking out the songs for the record – which is most obvious by the random switches in tempo.
Maybe Thomas and the rest of the band were “Unwell” when organizing the album? Maybe they were up until “3 a.m.” trying to pick the songs to put on the record? Whatever the excuse may be, their new album gets a three out of five in my book. Great tracks are necessary for a comeback album, but so is overall cohesion, something that Matchbox Twenty definitely did not consider before releasing “North.”

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Photo courtesy Atlantic Records