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Cradlesong

by Rob Thomas

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Arguably the most accomplished singer/songwriter of his generation, Rob Thomas is one of modern music's most compelling and commercially successful artists. Between Matchbox Twenty, his solo work, and his various collaborations with iconic artists like Santana and Mick Jagger, his tally now stands at more than 80 million albums sold worldwide.

The latest magical collection of Thomas-crafted inspiration is his second solo album, Cradlesong. The new album follows his 2005 multiplatinum solo debut, ...Something To Be, which made history as the first album by a male artist from a rock or pop group to debut at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 since the chart was launched 50 years earlier. The album earned a pair of Grammy nominations and spawned a string of hit singles, including the smash 'Lonely No More' which was #1 in 15 countries. cradlesong, with Matt Serletic again in the producer's chair, was forged in a creatively charged atmosphere. The result is a percussive rock record that pulses with passion and energy and portrays a world he views with boundless optimism.

Despite the occasionally discouraging lyric, Thomas infuses that hopeful spirit into cradlesong. 'I'm not a mopey person; I don't get satisfaction in heartache and despair. With the exception of a few things that start dark and stay dark, there's usually a hopefulness at the end of each song,' he says. 'There has to be; it s the hopeful part that makes you want to share them with people. It's the hopeful part that says you found some secret in the pain and maybe some other people will, too.'