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If you like this album, go back and pick up their idependent releases; especially, RUNNING ON ICE, and LIVE STAGES. Vertical Horizon is one of the most crowd-pleasing bands on the road right now. There isn't one song that their loyal fans don't sing along to. It's great to see these hard working guys begin to have some success. You can be sure it won't change them one bit!


Miscalculation   January 5, 2000
 22 out of 23 found this review helpful

OK. I admit it. When I first heard the new VH album, I was EXTREMELY disappointed. The band that hooked me with Call It Even and Lines Upon Your Face threw me for a spin when I listened to Everything You Want in the new music display-thingamabob (what are they called, anyway?)at the local Wherehouse music store. I talked my compatriot who first turned me on to VH and she expressed similar sentiments. Nice try, but not very good. Four months later, driving around in Boston I hear this song on Kiss108 FM, and it stays in my head for a couple of days. I heard it two more times on the same station, and left Beantown determined to buy the CD by this phantom group with the catchy song. At first I thought it was Jars of Clay, because the lines 'he's everything you want, he's everything you need, he's everything inside of you that you wish you could be' - made me think 'he' was of divine origin. Maybe it had to do with the spirituality of the holiday season, I don't know. But I digress. After endless searching for a song called 'Don't Know Why', I discovered that the song was actually called 'Everything You Want', and then I remembered listening to it in the Wherehouse 4 months earlier! (Long story of how I discovered my new favorite song was by VH, but it's a good one...) So off I rushed to the Wherehouse and sure enough, Vertical Horizon was still in the display thing. After confirming EYW was indeed the song I heard in Boston, I bought the CD and put Track 3 on repeat for an hour. Damn I love that song, and I can't believe I didn't like it when it first came out. I attribute my initial dislike to the album's diversion from what made me like the group in the first place. As I said at the beginning of my review, I really dug Call It Even and Lines Upon Your Face. 9 times out of 10, a group I dig will go in a new direction and lose me. Witness Jackopierce, Indigo Girls, and Jars Of Clay. Vertical Horizon is the exception to the rule. I scoffed at the comments by Keith or Matt (can't remember who, specifically) on the index card behind their CD in the Wherehouse display. The band was explaining their new sound by saying something like: "...there comes a time when you've said all you can say with an acoustic guitar. Sometimes you need to turn up the volume and just rock." Apologies to the band if I screwed that up, but that was the gist of what they said. "What pompous punks!" I thought to myself, and I left the store unhappy with their new CD. Well here I am, 4 months later, admitting I was wrong. DEAD wrong. This is one the best CD's I have heard in a long time. Everything You Want, You Say, You're A God and Miracle are absolutely incredible. If you look at this disc for what it is rather than as a sell-out by a group that used to be folksy, you will like this record. Sometimes you just want to sing along to a record, or blast your favorite song. As much as I like Call It Even, Sunrays and Saturdays, and Lines Upon Your Face, you just can't blast them. Nor can you sing along with them at the top of your lungs. But once again, I digress. In summary, this is the best overall album of 1999. You can listen to it from Track 1 to 11 and you will be thoroughly satisfied. The lyrics are still tight and the harmonies remain. VH deserves to blow up big time with this outstanding effort.


Vertical Horizon on the Move!   February 3, 2000
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

After listening to the first five songs, I am convinced that this cd is going to the top. Vertical Horizon is going back to the basics of great music, lyrics as well as music. You just want to listen to it over and over again. I am not sure if Vertical Horizon was trying to target a specific age group, but I was listening to the cd with my 13 year old nephew and we both thought it was great. I am 43 years old and this cd definitely breaks the so called generation gap. After listening to the "Everything You Want" cd, I bought two other Vertical Horizon cd's, "There And Back Again" and "Running On Ice" and even though both of those are good, "Everthing You Want" tops them. I am looking forward to the next release which I think should be "We Are". Great job guys, keep it up!