Matchbox Twenty - Where The Light Goes
Matchbox Twenty - Where The Light Goes
From Allmusic guide:
Everybody in Matchbox Twenty assumed that their recording days were behind them. Perhaps they'd reunite for an occasional tour, but creating new music seemed too high a barrier to cross. COVID-19 changed their outlook. When guitarist Kyle Cook suggested that it might be a good idea for the group to come out of the pandemic with a collection of new songs, the rest of the band warmed to the idea, writing and recording an album in a quick fashion. Fittingly, Where the Light Goes does feel bright and optimistic, a record full of big emotions and grand gestures, an album where intimate thoughts are projected upon a widescreen. As Matchbox Twenty always gravitated toward oversized music, this might not seem like a big change -- they still convey a sense of urgency through arrangements, not rhythms -- but as Where the Light Goes rolls on, the cumulative effect of the gleaming surfaces and the gilded hooks feel sunny. If it's not quite buoyant, that's because Matchbox Twenty are too earnest to be effervescent; they work hard at sounding light. Such sincerity is ingratiating, particularly coming from a group of old veterans like Matchbox Twenty: as glossy and polished as Where the Light Goes is, it doesn't seem like the result of a corporate boardroom, it feels like the work of a band united in purpose.