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It was 1997 and I had only recently discovered Pop music after hearing Smash Mouth’s “Walkin’ on the Sun” in an elevator.  I had been raised on The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin thanks to my brother’s influence, but he was at college then and the radio was now mine to control.  Soon (much to my brother’s dismay) I began to explore this new and amazing genre.  While I flirted with boy bands, (you know, that group Justin Timberlake used to be in) and found empowerment with Tori Amos,  my true love came when I heard “Push” by Matchbox 20.  Their first album, Yourself or Someone Like You, became the soundtrack to my life.  When I was angry, I listened to “Busted” and when I was sad, I listened to “Real World” or “3 AM”.  Because I was a teenager, I listened to this music a lot.

In 1999, listening to the radio, I heard a familiar voice and an unfamiliar sound. Rob Thomas was performing “Smooth” with Carlos Santana.  I had a momentary freak out because I just KNEW it meant that Matchbox 20 was no more.  Thankfully, a year later, they released Mad Season and all was right with my world again.  With the release of More Than You Think You Are I was able to see them live at what is now Verizon Arena.  (A then unknown Maroon 5 opened for them, but that’s another story.)

Before the release of Exile on Mainstream, the band took a hiatus to work on solo projects, allowing Rob Thomas to release his first solo album, …Something to Be in 2005.  He would follow that with Cradlesong in 2009 and now, the reason for this review, The Great Unknown released August 21st.

The first release “Trust You” was something of a disappointment for me. The sound was not to my taste and it sounded too forced and hyper.  When the album was finally released in full on Spotify, I was wary.  I was so afraid that I would be disappointed in the whole album, and I didn’t know how I could handle that.  With great trepidation, I finally loaded the album and began to listen.  The sound I had hoped to hear was back! While Rob Thomas no longer writes the darkly depressed music of the 90s, his newer sound is still, well, music to my ears.  Songs like “Pieces” and “Hold On Forever” are soothing and peaceful.  I enjoy the faster pace of “Absence of Affection” and even, yes, “Trust You”.

I haven’t purchased the album yet, but I will certainly be adding it my collection soon to take its place beside its Matchbox 20 and Tabitha’s Secret fellows.