Exile on Mainstream (CD - 2007)

Matchbox Twenty: Kyle Cook (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, glockenspiel, background vocals); Paul Doucette (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, guitar synthesizer, glockenspiel, drums, percussion, unknown instrument, background vocals); Rob Thomas (vocals, acoustic guitar, melodica, piano); Brian Yale (bass guitar, background vocals).

Additional personnel: Adam Gaynor (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar); Enrico DiCecco, Barry Finclair, Donna Tecco, Maura Giannini, Carol Webb, Jan Mullen, Ricky Sortomme, Jonathan Dinklage (violin); Sue Pray, Crystal Garner, Sarah Adams, Vince Lionti (viola); Stevie Blacke, Nashville String Machine (strings); Amy Porter (flute); Ted Gurch (clarinet); Douglas Smith (bass clarinet); Yvonne Powers (oboe); Elizabeth Burkhardt (bassoon); Matt Serletic (woodwinds, keyboards, percussion); Eric Ralske, Jerome Ashby (French horn); Matt Beck (organ); Ryan MacMillan (drums); Lydia Mann-Jaime, Vaneese Thomas (background vocals); Chris McDonald, Carl Gorodetzky.

The title of Matchbox Twenty's best-of collection, EXILE ON MAINSTREAM, seems to be an acknowledgement, ironic or not, of the band's entrenched status as kings of commercial pop-rock. As the 11 mega-hits compiled here prove, though, the band has a right to be proud. The disc plays like a trip down the main drag of radio-friendly alt rock in the 1990s, with such ubiquitous classics as "Push," "3 a.m.," and "Real World" included.

But the real treat is the EP that comes with the package. These six songs represent the first new Matchbox Twenty material in the five years since 2002's MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE was released, and find the band more energized, focused, and compelling than at any point in their career. Produced by super-producer Steve Lilywhite, the EXILE EP is a polished stream of well-constructed modern rock with an adult contemporary slant, matching the highlights on the best-of disc for catchy hooks and melodic songcraft. Taken together, the discs offer a perfect summation of the band's past and present glories.

Say this for Matchbox Twenty -- they've gotten better the longer they've stuck around. And that's not just their music, either: they've dropped the pretense of spelling their name as matchbox 20, they've gone away from cumbersome album titles, and they've embraced their status as MOR rockers. All of this is evident on Exile on Mainstream, which is not only the first of their albums to bear a simple yet clever title, it's a collection of hits that traces their progression into a good, solid mainstream band and is also buttressed by an EP that finds them livelier than ever. Bolder, too, especially on the rockabilly of "I'll Believe You When" and the slow oldies beat of "Can't Let You Go," which are light and dexterous in a way they've never been before. These are balanced by a few cuts that don't stretch quite as far, but the propulsive pop "If I Fall," charging anthem "How Far We've Come," and earnest ballad "These Hard Times" are smooth, accomplished mainstream pop that are better constructed in every respect than their earliest hits. That much is evident by this EP's juxtaposition with the 11-track greatest-hits disc, which has all their big radio hits presented in chronological order. There are a few minor hits missing -- "Angry," "Last Beautiful Girl," "Downfall," none of which climbed that high on the charts -- so this has everything that a modern rock or adult contemporary radio listener would know, and the striking thing about listening to the disc is to hear how they abandoned the angst-ridden cartwheels that weighed down "Push" and built upon the snappy hooks of "Real World" and "3 AM," developing a sense of melodic craft that flourished in the smooth ballad "If You're Gone" and the arena rocker "Unwell." These were highlights on their respective albums, but when these moments are put together as a hits collection, it makes for a surprisingly entertaining batch of mainstream rock -- but the real story is the bonus disc, which suggests that after this collection is out of the way, Matchbox Twenty may have their first very good studio album on the way. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine minimize