REVIEW: Vertical Horizon, Everything You Want (RCA)
- Bob Gajarsky
Vertical Horizon's major label debut album Everything You Want earmarks traces of Live and Barenaked Ladies for one of the most accessible yet distinctive sounds of the year.
The core of the group - Matt Scannell and Keith Kane - met while undergraduates at Georgetown. Rather than forming a full-fledged group, the pair became a popular acoustic attraction at the college. Although Scannell "loved electric guitar and playing in bands", it was "just easier to walk into a club with only an acoustic guitar and land a gig."
Combinining the indie work ethic - succesful DIY albums with relentless touring - which helped launch bands such as Dave Matthews to stardom, Vertical Horizon released three albums which were eagerly snapped up by their growing fan base. Word spread of the band's ability - Carter Beauford from Dave Matthews sat in on drums on 1995s Running On Ice - and so did the group's reputation.
Bassist Sean Hurley and drummer Ed Toth were added in 1996, "By spending so much time on the road, we've really built up a loyal grassroots following," recalls Hurley. "It helped us really develop as a band, even if it means being away from home."
The anthemic title track has the potential to be a Generation X hit for years to come, with its lyrics "I am everything you want / I am everything you need / I am everything inside of you / That you wish you could be." "Send It Up" opens with a gentler lick akin to Hendrix' "Foxy Lady" mixed with the spirit of Dave Matthews, while "We Are" and "Best I Ever Had" are prime examples of the Live / Ladies mix that works like a charm.
With so many references to the Dave Matthews Band, it's certain that DMB's fans caught on to Vertical Horizon years before. The rest of the nation should take its cue shortly.
