Rob Thomas

Much about Rob Thomas' second solo LP is in the lead single, "Her Diamonds," a song about mid-life ennui with a looping electronic drum rhythm and a strident chorus. The record's other singles -- "Give Me the Meltdown" and "Real World '09" -- use a familiar blueprint, and they all are streamlined Top 40 jumbo jets. As a whole, the cradlesong is brighter, more polished and a bit more varied in orchestration than Thomas' solo debut. A thudding drum pulses behind the record's most dynamic tune, the bold "Fire on the Mountain," where the singer's writing is the most imagistic.

Rob Thomas will never, ever be cool. Thomas has been the large-lunged, chest-thumping
voice of straight-down-the-middle pop rock since 1996, when he emerged at the helm of
Matchbox Twenty. He writes big, blowzy songs about love and angst, occasionally sounds
like he's trying to eat his microphone, and is the bearer of what may be the least appealing
shag haircut in popular-music history. But there's no doubting that he's a powerf... More >