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Exile Into Mainstream

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"The world can be so cruel to you, but I’ll sing to you a cradlesong." That’s Matchbox Twenty front man Rob Thomas opening up to Soundcheck about his new record, ‘Cradlesong.’ We sit down with the talented singer/songwriter and meet a man on a mission. Call ‘Cradlesong’ comfort music for the soul; a modern-day soundtrack packed full of intelligent tunes about trying times. Want the full story? Watch our exclusive interview with Rob - and go pick up a copy of his excellent new disc, ‘Cradlesong’ online and in Walmart stores nationwide. -The Crew at Walmart Soundcheck

Did You Know? • He was born on Valentine’s Day! Robert Kelly Thomas was born February 14, 1972. He was born on a military base in West Germany but grew up in the U.S. • He’s the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty and a successful solo artist. Thomas released his debut solo album, ‘…Something To Be’ after ten years as Matchbox Twenty’s front man. • He’s married! Rob has been married to Marisol Thomas since 1999. He also has a son named Maison from a prior relationship. • He helps the animals! Rob and his wife are outspoken animal activists who support a number of animal charities. • He tweets! Rob is a prolific user of ‘Twitter’ with frequent updates on everything from his favorite songs to his many travels. • His brand new album, ‘Cradlesong’ is set to be one of the biggest releases of the summer. Pick up a copy online and in Walmart stores nationwide!

Some Exclusive Highlights From The Soundcheck Interview: On The Title: “It was actually one of those things like a songwriting exercise. I have a thing called ‘The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy,’ and it’s just a little bit about everything in the world. It’s something that you go to as a reference when you want to try to find something that’s not in your life. The word ‘cradlesong’ popped out to me; it’s an old English word for lullaby. The songs that are on this record have to do with everything from when you’re born through to your life to actual songs about dying. It seemed like [the title] ‘cradlesong’ encapsulated all those moments into one album.” On Cradlesong: “’Cradlesong’ is a song about the person that’s the most important to you. Everything in the world really doesn’t really matter if you have a solidified relationship. It’s about how everything around you seems to be going crazy; maybe these people are liars or these people are untrustworthy, but you don’t have to worry about that... because I’m here. That was the idea behind ‘Cradlesong.’ The world can be so cruel to you, but I’ll sing to you a cradlesong.” On Her Diamonds: “’Her Diamonds’ is about something very specific in my life. I wrote the song about my wife, who over the last six or seven years has been dealing with an auto-immune disease. The song itself is about empathy. It’s about when someone in your life is dealing with something like a sickness. When you have someone that means more to you than anything… the one thing about that relationship is that you want to be the one that makes everything better. This is a song about empathy. It’s the one thing that you can have in that circumstance.” On The Rob Thomas Band: “I have the same live band that I tour with when I do my solo records. One of the good things about doing a solo record is that you can have a cast of characters come in. I went with some people that I’m huge fans of: Michael Bland of New Power Generation, Jack Daly, who plays with Lenny Kravitz; and Tom Bukovak, who’s one of the number one Nashville guitar players. Taking all these people from different walks of life and bringing them together… sometimes for the very first time. Everyone of them [playing] a little left of center of what their normal style is. For a great drummer to do something different is pretty fun.” On Changing Times: “The business of writing songs doesn’t change. The business of making records barely changes. But the idea of how you get that record out to people and how you get the people to share the music has completely changed. How many direct pipelines can you have with the people that are listening to your music? How many ways can you have to communicate with them?” On Finding Happy: “I’m a happy guy most of the time. Relationship songs aren’t necessarily romantic. They could be about you and your friends or you and your family. My songs tend to explore [the sad] part of my emotions a lot more than when I’m happy. When I’m happy, I go out and be happy. When I’m not happy, I sit down and write about it.”