Artiste: Rob Thomas,

Label: Emblem/Atlantic,

Rating: 3.5/5,

Produced & arranged by Matt Serletic

Rob Thomas who found fame as the front man of Matchbox Twenty comes back with his second solo project 'Cradlesong' featuring fourteen well written tracks. Unlike his work with Matchbox 20, for Cradlesong, Thomas has experimented and taken a more global approach and worked with several South American and African percussionists. Soon after its release, the first single 'Her Diamonds' reached the number three position on US charts. Apparently, the song was about his wife's long time illness.

Speaking about few other gems, songs like 'Gasoline' takes listeners on a space trip with Rob's grainy voice layered over easy beats.  'Give Me the Meltdown' is electro-funky track with a lot of energy. 'Someday' is a typical rock ballad, but what stands out are its backing chorus variations. While 'StillAin't Over You' may remind you of his previous hit 'Disease', few minutes into it, it explodes into an whole new territory. Real World '09' is a great song with a intelligent mix of rock, folk, electronica and a great pop chorus line –   kudos to producer and arranger Matt Serletic. Most tracks featured on the album are energetic, but it's when the song 'Getting Late' starts, things mellow down. The acoustic arrangement and country melody are grounded in reality.

Not many know, for this single record, Rob Thomas recorded as many as twenty-seven tracks out of which fourteen made it to the list. Thomas may release those songs in his next or perform them at his shows. While most remember him for his Carlos Santana Supernatural collaboration, as a songwriter his hits in with songs like Push, 3 A.M., If You're Gone, Mad Season, Disease, Unwell, Bright Lights, and How Far We've Come are no less, and now, one can safely add Cradlesong to that list.

Rob Thomas will kick off his Cradlesong US tour in Florida starting on September 23, 2009 at the Hard Rock and end the tour in New York, New York at the Beacon on Fri Nov 13, 2009.