Ralphy's C.D. Reviews

Review date 28-03-2001:

Vertical Horizon - C.D. Everything you want

Matt Scannell (lead vocals & guitar) and Keith Kane (backing vocals & guitar) started out under the name Vertical Horizon as an acoustic duo back in 1991, when they were both undergrads at Georgetown University. After graduating in 1992 they decided to try their luck in the music business and they recorded their first independent album "There and back again". A lot of touring followed, before they released their second indie album in 1995 called "Running on ice" . This one, opposed to the earlier one, was a full band effort with guest musicians. In 1996 after Ed Toth had joined the band as their regular drummer, they released their third and last independent CD, a live album, called "Live Stages". I myself am totally unaware of the music on these 3 recordings, which were all reissued when they signed their record deal with RCA, so I cannot comment on any of them. Before their proper major label debut "Everything you want" (released in June 1999, yes, I'm late again) the group added bassplayer Sean Hurley to the line-up in 1998, to become the quartet that they now are. The first two singles of this latest album were moderate radio successes here in Holland and I liked them, but it was the third single 'You're a God' (or the video with Tiffany-Amber Thiessen) that hooked me and convinced me to buy the album. A decision that I did not regret.

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The emphasis of this album is in the first third of it. At least it seems so, because the band made the first 4 songs (of 11; running time just over 45 minutes) into singles. The first one 'We are', my first listen of Vertical Horizon, is somewhat different from the rest of the album, because it's probably the heaviest song on the CD and not representative of the more melodious rest of the album. The second single and title track of the album became a number-one-hit in the USA. After reading its lyrics I first thought it was about someone who lost connection with God (probably a symptom of listening too much to Creed) and didn't know how to restore that connection, but through a FAQ on VH I learned that it's about the nice guy, friend but not lover syndrome, if you know what I mean. Of the third single 'You're a God' I already told you that for me it was the reason to buy this CD, it is absolutely outstanding and extremely catchy. The fourth, just released, single also meets with my utmost approval. 'Best I ever had (Grey sky morning)' was my "discovery" on the album. It's a ballad about someone who pines over a lost love and regrets the mistakes he has made and it might perhaps even be my favorite song on the album.

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Is the rest of the album not worth listening to than, you may ask? It is. The songs in the middle of the CD aren't that outstanding compared to the ones mentioned above, but all have good melodies and catchy choruses, which for me has become a typical trade of Vertical Horizon. They primarily deal with relations, love and the problems related to these. 'You say' is about being in a relation, but not being able to really communicate (I think). 'Finding me' is about remaining yourself and not denying what really makes you "you" in spite of "being together". 'Miracle' is simply about waiting for and hoping to meet the right someone. In 'Send it up' (to me the weakest song) the subject persons has found his relational bliss and rejoices in it.

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The last quarter of the album is even better than the middle part. 'Give you back' tells the story of someone who got the girl he dreamed of and now realizes she ain't all he imagined her to be. 'All of you' is about a relation in which the guy doesn't dare to show to much of himself, because he's afraid he'll scare the girl, which he loves so much, away (imho). The closing song 'Shackled' is different from the rest, because it's the only one written and sung (lead) by Keith Kane. It's another favorite of mine about a guy who wants out of the relation he is in, because he feels 'shackled' . Inside his mind he is already breaking up with her which is stated by the great sentence "Let me introduce you to the end". Well now to the difficult task of rating the album. Well the title of the album really says it all, it is indeed "Everything you want" from a pop-rock CD, so I rate it with an 8.1 .

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