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...Something to Be

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Untitled

...Something to Be is the debut solo album from the Matchbox Twenty lead singer Rob Thomas. The album was released on April 5, 2005, and it debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, knocking out Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi. This marked the first time that a male artist from a rock or pop group has debuted at number one with his first solo album since Billboard introduced the chart 50 years ago.[citation needed]

The album spawned the U.S. top ten hit "Lonely No More". It also features John Mayer's guitar on the single "Streetcorner Symphony".[1] The album was released in the DualDisc format, the first major album to be released that way. The album itself is certified Platinum[2] by the RIAA in the U.S. and consists of several types of sounds, including dance, pop, Latin, rock, and country, although it can be generally classified as closer to pop than to the rock music of Matchbox Twenty's third studio album, More Than You Think You Are. The album was supported by his 2005–06, Something to Be Tour.

The album cover, as well as the title, bears some resemblance to ...But Seriously, a 1989 album released by Phil Collins.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic57/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB[5]
Pastefavorable[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
StylusC[8]

Reception for ...Something to Be was mixed. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly said Rob Thomas "sounds less like his usual tortured self and more like a boy-band veteran who still knows a thing or two about a grabby hook" and noting that the single "Streetcorner Symphony" sounds like "the world's greatest Black Crowes parody — until you realize Thomas is completely serious". Browne also commented that the album "doesn't always snap and crackle the way that single ("Lonely No More") does".[9] Daniel Garrett of The Compulsive Reader gave the album a positive review, complimented several of the songs and described Thomas' voice as "pleasant, intense, and yet a bit impersonal". He also said the single "Streetcorner Symphony" was upbeat with the elements of rock, rhythm and blues, and jazz and that it reminded him of Elton John.[10]

Lindsay Whitfield of Soul Shine Magazine also gave the album and some of the its songs a positive review (four stars), saying the album is "one of the finest, most unique albums of 2006 so far" and Thomas belts out "musical perfection to the road trip worthy".[11] Thomas Inskeep of Stylus Magazine gave the album a negative review ("C" rating), calling it "mediorce" and explaining that the large part of the problem was that "Rob’s a fairly generic songwriter". Inskeep continued by saying he is "one of the most processed-cheese-and-Wonder-bread guys around" and Thomas had "hopelessly clichéd lines" on the song "Ever the Same".[12]

Kevin Forest Moreau of Paste gave the album a positive review, saying his debut solo album "certainly sounds different from the adult-alternative diet-rock of Matchbox Twenty-at least half the time". Moreau complimented the "punchy horns and a few electronic flourishes" for being on songs such as "Streetcorner Symphony". However, he criticized the "ponderous poetics...and platitudes" for being mistaken as depth.[13] Paul Lingas of avrev.com called the album "a mixed bag with some surprisingly good offerings and some duds that sadly aren’t surprising" (giving the performance a 5.5 and the sound 6.5), complimenting some of the songs but also calling them "background music". He noted that Thomas "does not have a good singing voice". Although he also called his voice very distinctive and strong, he said "too often it is not suited to the surrounding music". Lingas finished by saying that Thomas' voice is not always well blended with the other sounds and that the mixing is "poor" and producing decisions are "sometimes odd".[14]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."This Is How a Heart Breaks"3:50
2."Lonely No More"3:47
3."Ever the Same"4:16
4."I Am an Illusion"4:53
5."When the Heartache Ends"2:51
6."...Something to Be"4:31
7."All That I Am"4:28
8."Problem Girl"3:55
9."Fallin' to Pieces"4:11
10."My, My, My"4:18
11."Streetcorner Symphony"4:09
12."Now Comes the Night"4:55
Australian edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Not Just a Woman"3:03
14."You Know Me"3:48
15."Lonely No More" (Clear Channel Stripped Version)3:44
16."This Is How a Heart Breaks" (Pulls Defibrillator Mix)6:32
Japan edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Fallen"4:36

Target Bonus CD: ...Something More

No.TitleLength
1."...Something to Be" (downtown version) 
2."When the Heartache Ends" (piano version) 
3."Not Just a Woman" 
4."You Know Me" 
5."Dear Joan" 
6."Lonely No More" (Jason Nevins Rock Da Club Mix) 
7."Lonely No More" (Francois L. Club Mix) 

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart 1
Austrian Albums Chart 19
Canadian Albums Chart 2
German Albums Chart 10
New Zealand Albums Chart 14
Norwegian Albums Chart 13
Swedish Albums Chart 19
Swiss Albums Chart 19
UK Albums Chart 11
US Billboard 200[15] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[16] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[17] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[18] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[20] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Hiatt, Brian (2005). "Rob Thomas Goes It Alone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 1, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "...Something to Be Platinum Certification". RIAA. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  3. ^ "Something To Be by Rob Thomas". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "...Something to BeReview". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 12, 2011. {{cite web}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |work= at position 1 (help)
  5. ^ Browne, David (April 18, 2005). "...Something to Be Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  6. ^ "...Something to Be Review". Paste. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  7. ^ "...Something to BeReview". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "...Something to Be Review". Stylus. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  9. ^ Browne, David (April 18, 2005). "Something to Be (2005) - Music Review". ew.com. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  10. ^ Garrett, Daniel (2005). "Drama and Energy: Rob Thomas's Something to Be". compulsivereader.com. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  11. ^ Whitfield, Lindsay. "Rob Thomas, Something to Be". soulshine.ca. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  12. ^ Inskeep, Thomas (April 22, 2005). "Rob Thomas - ...Something to Be - Review". stylusmagazine.com. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  13. ^ Moreau, Kevin Forest (June 1, 2005). "Rob Thomas - ...Somethin to be". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  14. ^ Lingas, Paul (April 19, 2005). "Rob Thomas - Something To Be". avrev.com. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  15. ^ "Rob Thomas – Chart History: The Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  16. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  17. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Rob Thomas – Something to Be". Music Canada.
  18. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Rob Thomas – Something to Be". Recorded Music NZ.
  19. ^ "British album certifications – Rob Thomas – Something to Be". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Something to Be in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  20. ^ "American album certifications – Rob Thomas – Something to Be". Recording Industry Association of America.
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