ARTIST SPOTLIGHT = Vertical Horizon (4 songs)

This band formed at Georgetown University (Washington DC) in 1991 by undergrads Matthew Scannell & Keith Kane. After their 1992 graduation, they relocated to Boston & released their debut album ‘There & Back Again’.

#1
This song was released 11/30/1999 as the 2nd single from their 3rd studio album of the same name. By mid 2000, it had claimed #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart & reached the Top 5 of 4 other United States charts. It also claimed #1 in Canada & notched at #42 in England. Their 1st official release had been 1999’s “We Are”, from the same album.

#2
This song, the band’s only single released in 2000, hit the airwaves 07/03/2000 as the 3rd single from their 3rd studio album ‘Everything You Want’. It notched at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 & peaked in the Top 15 on 2 other United States charts. Elsewhere, it reached #19 in Canada & was featured in the film ‘Bruce Almighty’.

#3
Debuting 01/22/2001 as the 4th & final single from the band’s 3rd studio album ‘Everything You Want’, this song (my favorite of theirs) only managed #58 on the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at #7 on the Adult Top 40 Tracks chart. I remember hearing it played on the radio while in Nashville TN March 2001, just after learning of the death of someone I knew. While I didn’t identify with the lyrics, it just … spoke to me. 4 years later, Gary Allan released a country version that peaked at #7 on the country charts (2005).

#4
After releasing no new music in 2002, the band released this song as the 1st single from their album ‘Go’. Written by the band’s lead vocalist, Matt Scannell, the song managed to notch on only 1 chart: the Adult Top 40 (#17). Their next release, the 2nd from the album ‘Go’, was 2005’s “Forever”, which reached #18 on the Adult Top 40 & #17 on the Adult Contemporary charts.