Thursday, January 7, 2016

YFT - Rob Thomas

Further exploring Daryl's House I found the session with Rob Thomas.  (More on that later.)  Rob was a founding member of "Matchbox Twenty," but I would venture to guess that most of us who are familiar with Rob Thomas came to know him though his vocal on "Smooth," which turned out to be a huge smash hit for Carlos Santana.  Here is an excerpt from "All Music" giving a bit of history about "Smooth."
Matchbox Twenty reserved 1999 as the year to record their eagerly anticipated second album, but they didn't disappear from the spotlight, due to the unexpected success of "Smooth," a Santana song co-written and sung by Rob Thomas. "Smooth" was one of many songs sung by celebrities on Santana's cameo-studded comeback album Supernatural, but it was the one chosen as the lead single. A wise choice, as it turned out, since it became a true pop phenomenon, topping many radio charts and driving Supernatural to multi-platinum sales and many industry awards. Throughout the second half of 1999, "Smooth" was inescapable, as it and Supernatural sat on the top of the pop charts. Its success brought more attention to Matchbox Twenty, and Yourself or Someone Like You rocketed to over ten million copies sold -- which now qualified it for the RIAA's Diamond Award, which is only granted to records that have moved over ten million units. On top of that, Thomas was named BMI's 1999 Pop Songwriter of the Year, for "Smooth" and his work with Matchbox Twenty. Early in 2000, Thomas won three Grammys for "Smooth" -- Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Having read that, I'll bet you are itching to hear "Smooth" right here and now.  I never get tired of hearing that tune.

Anyhow, this leads me to Rob's appearance at Daryl's House.  All of the songs are great and it's hard for me to pick a favorite, but I'm gonna settle on "Someday," a song written by Rob.  He and Daryl sound so nice on this track, and the lyrics are inspiring.  Enjoy it right here.

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