by Monica Davies

Created on: June 25, 2009

Rob Thomas is a masterful melodic pop/rock music maker. He manages to take the darkest and dreariest of subjects and put an optimistic spin on them in his songs. On his second solo album, Cradlesong, he sings about dealing with life-long sickness (Her Diamonds), falling apart in the real world (Real World) and a dead-end relationship (Mockingbird), and manages to turn these loveless subjects into some of the most charming, catchy music of his career.

From the moment you hear the opening line of the inspirational first single, Her Diamonds, you're unlikely to be able to escape the spell that Thomas weaves with his music. Don't let the subject matter of the song fool you there are uplifting vocals and a soaring beat behind the chorus as he relates to us how a lady (reportedly his own wife) deals with sickness as her tears [are] like diamonds on the floor. The song looks set to be lapped up by fans worldwide.

Thomas himself has admitted that the tune, Give Me The Meltdown has a touch of INXS to it, and you can hear this immediately in the powerful pop-tinged chorus and the rhythmic strokes of light guitar that carry the song. Thomas changes the vibe of the album again on Someday, a slow song in which he talks about how it's okay to not have all your plans working right now, because maybe someday, we'll figure all this out. Like on Her Diamonds, he brings in a choir of backing vocalists to end the song off on a powerful and upbeat note.

The next trio of songs then deliver a power punch of musical excellence to listeners with Mockingbird, Real World and the majestic Fire Mountain, a tune riven by deep drum beats and fiercely passionate vocals from Thomas, the likes of which you hear nowhere else on the album.

The album's title track and Getting Late are two Tom Petty-esque songs that also merit many listens.

With Cradlesong, Rob Thomas shows us that his 80 million album-selling career (with Matchbox Twenty and his own records) is highly deserved - he has a magical way of carrying hope and optimism through all his songs that will make you want to repeat his new record over and over.

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