Rob Thomas Reveals Inspiration for New Album

Rob Thomas is surprisingly OK with the fact that his brand of driving alt-rock is not currently in vogue.According to Nielsen Music, the rock star has over a dozen of radio hits and more than 18 million albums sold in the United States. He says “Everything we’ve ever done, Matchbox Twenty or my solo stuff, always has existed a little bit to the left of whatever was happening,” says the 47-year-old. “When Matchbox had [2003 hit] ‘Unwell,’ everything else on the charts was like Nelly and Ludacris. This is just what I do, and it has never been hip, cool or cutting edge.”

Aptly, Thomas opens his fourth solo full-length, Chip Tooth Smile (out April 26 on Atlantic Records) with “One Less Day (Dying Young),” a single about appreciating life as you grow older. Produced by Butch Walker (Weezer, Fall Out Boy), the album finds Thomas — who’s celebrating the 20th anniversary of “Smooth,” his mega-smash with Santana — reflecting on marriage, fatherhood and finding peace as “the guy that, if you go into a CVS, at some point you’re going to hear one of my songs.”

Rob Thomas Has Never Been Less Cool, And He’s Fine With That

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