JULY 1 2009
AMERICANWAY 57
the man has remained
shockingly under the radar since he broke onto
the music scene more than a decade ago. But Rob
Thomas the voice is unknown by no one. The for-
mer front man of hugely successful bandMatchbox
Twenty, Santana collaborator (who could forget
their Grammy-winning duet, “Smooth”?), and now
solo artist has commanded hit after hit and has
contributed to the sale of 80million records— all
thanks to his distinctive voice.
On his second solo album,
Cradlesong
(Emblem/
Atlantic, $19), Thomashasgreased thewheelsof the
hitmachine again.We spokewith him about his lat-
est effort and his guilty-pleasure appeal.
HoW do You fEEl About tHE stAtE ofMu-
sICduRINgtHIsRECEssIoN?
Not to soundglib,
but it feels like themusic-industry recession started
about six years ago. Last year, therewas this report
that said the only industry that didn’t tank was the
concert industry. People want a little escapism—
movies, concerts. At the end of the day, if it were
just me in a recession, I’d be upset. But it’s across
the board. Everybody except for KanyeWest. Kanye
West is not in a recession.
Whether RobThomas
is performingwith
his band, with famous
collaborators, or by
himself, his distinctive
soundmakes him a
multiplatinum success.
ByKevinRaub
Smooth
StylingS
RobthomaS
IsN’tItIllEgAlfoRANARtIsttoWRItEAsECoNdsoNgWItHtHEsAMEtItlEAsApREvI-
oussoNg, AsYou’vENoWdoNEWItH “REAlWoRld”?
It is
not
. And I didn’t! The new song is called
“RealWorld ’09,” which is very different from “RealWorld”! Originally, when Iwrote it, Iwas going to call it
“Welcome to theRealWorld,” but then I thought itwould just look like Iwas pretending I didn’twrite a song
called “RealWorld” onmyfirst record. So I figured thebest thing todowas look it straight in the eyeand just
call it “RealWorld ’09,” as if it’s the new version.
tHE tHEME of tHE AlbuM sEEMs to bE tRoublEd RElAtIoNsHIps. HoW’s tHE MARRIAgE
goINg?
Themarriage is goingfine.We’re pretty self-actualized because of all this stuff! I thinkmost people
in relationships have these horrible fights and blowups. If you’re a good couple, youmove on and evolve from
thatmoment. But asawriter, your job is to stay in thatmoment a littlebit longer and thinkaboutwhatwould
have happened if life had turned out differently from thatmoment on.
MANY pEoplE CoNsIdER You A guIltY plEAsuRE. WHAt do You tHINk About tHAt?
That’s
definitely some sort of a slam for someone to say you are aguilty pleasure.My guilty pleasures are the things
that giveme exactly what they promisedme— but they promisedme absolutely nothing, and I appreciate
it. I guess it depends. [MatchboxTwenty] has always been in themiddle of the road. If you’reBritneySpears,
then themusic Imake is Soundgarden. But if you’reSoundgarden, we’reBritneySpears.
You’vE MANAgEd to MAINtAIN A CERtAIN lEvEl of ANoNYMItY Not usuAllY AffoRdEd
folksAssuCCEssfulAsYou. Is ItAblEssINgoRACuRsE?
It’s a blessing! You have towork at
being that person.When I’m inLosAngeles, every restaurant that’sworthgoing tohas paparazzi out front. If
I lived in L.A., Iwould probably have amuch higher profile. But I live inWestchester, up in horse country. If
you don’t knowwho I am but you knowmy songs and I can sell outMadisonSquareGarden and the Staples
Center
and
I can still go to the grocery store, then I’vewon.
