CD Review: Rob Thomas "Something to Be"

Choosing to make a solo album after being part of a popular band has always been a risky proposition. It's a move that not only risks alienating present and future fans but also opens the performer up to new avenues of criticism. It can also open up creative avenues and raise artistic integrity to greater heights. Everyone from Mick Jagger to Justin Timberlake has released a solo album with varying degrees of success. The former failed miserably and quickly retreated back to the Stones. The latter was finally relinquished of the boy band label and began to be taken as a serious performer.

Rob Thomas, front-man for Matchbox Twenty, is also leaving his band behind for the time being and venturing out on his own. This isn't the first time he has done so, however. Most will remember Thomas from singing and co-writing the Grammy-winning Santana song "Smooth." Since then, Thomas has diversified himself, writing for country legend Willie Nelson, collaborating with Jagger on the last Matchbox album and writing a song along with Outkast's Big Boi for the forthcoming Santana record.

It's not surprising that Something To Be's songs are as diverse as Thomas' pedigree. "Ever the Same" could very well be this year's prom anthem, "When the Heartache Ends" cops the melody of the Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way" and "Streetcorner Symphony," which features John Mayer on guitar, sounds a lot like a lost Jason Mraz song. The hit first single off the album, "Lonely No More" is the song Timberlake and Gwen Stefani wished they had recorded for their solo debuts.

Something to Be also allows Thomas to play around with all the pretty horns, strings and orchestral arrangements he has loved so much since Matchbox's sophomore album.
Even when production reaches a little too far, Thomas' voice is able to carry the songs. His voice is a distinctive one, much like a Liam Gallagher or Adam Duritz, and can be relied upon to convey basic emotions like anger and love with the required amount of passion and tenderness.
The only real low point on the album is "Fallin' to Pieces" where Thomas pays homage to the early Southern country and rock that he listened to growing up. Unfortunately, it doesn't suit his musical abilities or talents in the least and becomes the only track that can safely be skipped over on the album.

When he stays true to his strengths though — strong lyricism, engaging musical ideas and wearing his heart on his sleeve — the album succeeds tremendously.

It would have been easy for Thomas to stay inside the friendly confines of his band or to offer up an album wrought with Santana rehashes. Instead, he chose what's close to his heart: a sometimes rousing, sometimes plaintive, sometimes downright danceable mix of pop songs intended to get in your head and stay awhile. And considering the final results of his first solo project Something To Be, it was the right choice.

Grade: A

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 28 2005.