Cradlesong (album)
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Cradlesong is the second solo studio album by the Matchbox Twenty lead-singer Rob Thomas, released on June 30, 2009 by Atlantic Records. The album's first single "Her Diamonds" was a success around the world, while reaching number three in Australia and topping the Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart, meanwhile other singles "Someday" and "Mockingbird" attained success on the Adult Contemporary charts.
The album received mostly positive reviews, with the single "Her Diamonds", a song written about his wife and her illness, receiving praise by many reviewers. The album takes a pop rock feel with a variety of sounds mixed by longtime producer Matt Serletic who is praised for smooth production of the album. It debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number #3 selling 122,000 copies, while reaching top-ten positions in Canada and Australia.
Background
On September 15, 2008, Thomas told Billboard.com that he's "probably about 80 percent done" with his second solo record, tentatively titled Cradle Songs at the time.[2] Thomas characterized the album as "the usual mish-mosh of styles, but hopefully just holding true to a bunch of good songs." with the article also mentioning that the record will nonetheless feature several tracks that "take a more global, rhythmic direction after working with South American and African percussionists." Thomas explained one such experiment:
We started off with the idea of doing a newer version of (Paul Simon's) The Rhythm of the Saints, and that kinda carried us a long way through. It gave us a whole new bed to work with, like 'How do I get my pop sensibility around this and work it into that?' It was a lot of fun. But you go through different phases when you're writing; it took a different turn, and I just followed it, too.
On February 25, 2009, it was announced via Fox News that the album's then-supposed title was Cradle Song.[3] It was mentioned, in addition, that there "are at least four hot singles awaiting radio play including 'Her Diamonds' and 'Someday.'" On the same day, Thomas announced on his official website that he has been "back and forth to Los Angeles quite a bit, mixing the new record." However, he denied the album will be released in May, mentioning it "looks like it won't be coming until the last week of June or the first week of July."
On March 2, 2009, Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly interviewed Thomas, where he confirmed he has since shelved his initial efforts to evoke The Rhythm of the Saints, and claimed the album is scheduled for a June 30 release.[4] Having played half the forthcoming album to Entertainment Weekly, it was reported that many of the lyrics on Cradle Song center around troubled relationships, and three more song titles were revealed: "Meltdown" (described as "INXS-esque power pop" that stood out as "a possible first single"), "Fire on the Mountain" (an "epic, tribal drum-driven" track inspired by Dave Eggers' book "What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng") and the melancholic country-leaning "Getting Late" (suggested as the "set's likely closer" and what Thomas described as "a little ditty about death." in the vein of Tom Petty and Willie Nelson.) The proper magazine article added that "Someday" is a power ballad with a tinkling piano introduction reminiscent of 80's band Damn Yankees.
On March 4, 2009, Thomas clarified on the message board of his official web-site that the album's title will be one word: "cradlesong". He announced that the lead single for this album had been chosen and a director is being sought after for the video. Thomas also announced that, at the time, he had mixed eleven songs so far and had recorded a total of twenty-seven. He confirmed a total of twelve songs will make the final cut, but added "the first pressing will have an extra 3 on it as well" and "later in the year i'm going to try to find a way to release the others, but i'll keep popping them out here and there at shows."
On March 6, 2009, minute-long snippets of the tracks "Meltdown" and "Her Diamonds" were temporarily featured on the front page of his official site. Despite being removed from the website, they are presently being featured in a RateTheMusic survey.
On April 27, 2009 the first single "Her Diamonds" was released on iTunes. The song is about his wife Marisol and her longtime illness. This was followed by "Give Me the Meltdown" on June 9, "Someday" on June 16, and "Fire on the Mountain" on June 23. All four singles were released before the album's release date on June 30, 2009. "Someday" featured in promo spots for NBC's 2009 fall season of The Biggest Loser.[5]
Rob kicked off his Cradlesong Tour in Hollywood, Florida starting on September 23, 2009 at the Hard Rock Live.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Billboard | (favourable)[6] |
| The Boston Globe | (positive)[7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[8] |
| Los Angeles Times | [9] |
| The New York Times | (favorable)[10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
| USA Today | [12] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 7 reviews, which indicates "generally positive reviews".[13] The Billboard review said that "Thomas returns with a soaring collection of infectious pop songs that are destined for heavy rotation in 2009 and beyond". The Rolling Stone review said that "There is plenty of unexpected texture to keep your ears engaged". The Los Angeles Times review would say that "Thomas presides over a sleekly produced, constantly undulating mixture of sounds that seems designed to appeal to all of the people all of the time". The Allmusic review was also positive: "This dogged sense of purpose does result in a tighter, better record than Something to Be and even it's not a lot of fun, it's not meant to be: it's big music about big issues, even inflating personal issues to the universal". The Boston Globe review said that: "The Matchbox Twenty frontman's second solo album showcases all of his admirable middle-of-the-road gifts and offers a glimpse of the possibilities when he explores the more extreme edges". The New York Times review considered Cradlesong his second persistently polite, numbingly polished solo album".
Chart performance
Cradlesong made a positive debut on the Billboard 200 at number #3, selling 122,000 copies while "Her Diamonds" ascended up the Billboard Hot 100 to a peak of 23. As of July 12 2015, Cradlesong has sold 493,000 copies in the United States.[14]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Her Diamonds" | Rob Thomas | 4:38 |
| 2. | "Gasoline" | Thomas | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Give Me the Meltdown" | Thomas, Matt Serletic | 3:12 |
| 4. | "Someday" | Thomas, Serletic, Shy Carter | 4:07 |
| 5. | "Mockingbird" | Thomas | 4:00 |
| 6. | "Real World '09" | Thomas, Serletic, Nellee Hooper | 2:45 |
| 7. | "Fire on the Mountain" | Thomas | 5:09 |
| 8. | "Hard on You" | Thomas | 2:42 |
| 9. | "Still Ain't Over You" | Thomas | 3:09 |
| 10. | "Natural" | Thomas, Serletic | 4:48 |
| 11. | "Snowblind" | Thomas | 3:53 |
| 12. | "Wonderful" | Thomas | 3:28 |
| 13. | "Cradlesong" | Thomas | 4:13 |
| 14. | "Getting Late" | Thomas | 3:27 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Little Wonders" (radio version) | Thomas | 3:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Sleep Till the War Is Over" | Thomas, Garfield Mayor | 3:58 |
| 17. | "Believe" | 3:29 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Years from Now" | 3:37 |
| 19. | "Remembered Well" | 3:46 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 20. | "Overrun" (B-side to "Her Diamonds" single) | 4:12 |
Bonus DVD
A deluxe edition is available exclusively from Target stores in the US. Included is the original standard studio album, as well as a bonus DVD which includes interviews, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the album photo shoot and video shoot for "Her Diamonds". It can be purchased in said stores or online via Target's website.
Personnel
- Chris Lord-Alge – mixing
- Rusty Anderson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Alex Arias – assistant engineer, Pro Tools
- Keith Armstrong – assistant engineer
- Kenny Aronoff – drums
- Stevie Blacke – strings
- Michael Bland – drums, snaps
- Marcus Brown – African drums
- Sherree Ford Brown – background vocals
- Tom Bukovac – acoustic guitar, bass guitar, beat box, snaps
- Lenny Castro – percussion
- Jason Dale – assistant engineer
- Jack Daley – bass guitar
- Mark Dobson – percussion, engineer, Pro Tools
- Keith Fiddmont – saxophone
- Sharlotte Gibson – background vocals
- Soro Gnenemon – African drums
- James Grundler – background vocals
- Sean Hurley – bass guitar
- Kim Hutchcroft – saxophone
- Victor Indrizzo – percussion, drums
- Nik Karpen – assistant engineer
- Jim Keltner – drums
- Reverend Shuichi Tom Kurai – Taiko drums
- Abe Laboriel, Jr. – drums
- Michael Landau – electric guitar
- Mike Leisz – engineer, assistant engineer, Pro Tools
- Ria Lewerke – art direction, design, arrangement, snaps, art conception
- Michael Lippman – management
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Andrew McPherson – photography
- Norman Moore – art direction, design
- Taylor Moyer – Taiko drums
- Justin Niebank – engineer
- Alfred Ortiz – Taiko drums
- Ben Peeler – Bouzouki, steel guitar, oud, Lap steel guitar
- Tim Pierce – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, snaps
- Louise Robinson – illustrations
- Andrew Schubert – Pro Tools
- Dean Serletic – production coordination
- Matt Serletic – piano, arranger, keyboards, hammond organ, programming, background vocals, producer, vocal arrangement, horn arrangements, snaps
- Lee Sklar – bass guitar
- Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar
- Robert Smith – African drums
- Dino Soldo – saxophone
- Magatte Sow – African drums
- Dejan Stanjevic – engineer, assistant engineer
- Jordan Stilwell – assistant engineer
- Jess Sutcliffe – engineer
- Shari Sutcliffe – contractor
- Bryan Sutton – acoustic guitar, mandolin
- Marisol Thomas – background vocals, co-arranger
- Rob Thomas – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, Tom-Tom, background vocals
- Lee Thornburg – trumpet
- Adam Tilzer – assistant engineer
- Robyn Troup – background vocals
- Jose Vergara – African drums
- Butch Walker – background vocals
- Patrick Warren – piano, keyboards, hammond organ, chamberlin, pump organ, string arrangements, snaps
- Hal Winer – engineer, assistant engineer
- Patrick Woodward – assistant engineer, Pro Tools
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Certifications
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References
- ^ a b Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Cradlesong - Rob Thomas". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ "Rob Thomas Gets Worldly On New Solo Album". Ultimate Guitar. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- ^ "Rob Thomas, Out of the Matchbox". Fox News. 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- ^ "Rob Thomas: Talking with the artist about his new album, 'Cradle Song'". Entertainment Weekly. 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
- ^ Someday Songfacts
- ^ "Music - Review of cradlesong". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 27, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "cradlesong Album Review by Boston Globe". bostonglobe.com. 2010-05-31. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ "cradlesong Review". EW. 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
- ^ "cradlesong Review". Los Angeles Times. 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ "cradlesong- Album Reviews". New York Times. 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
- ^ Rosen, Jody (2009-06-29). "Cradlesong : Rob Thomas : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Gundersen, Edna (2009-06-29). "Rob Thomas, Cradlesong: Rock This Cradle". USA Today. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Metacritic - cradlesong by Rob Thomas
- ^ "Upcoming Releases: Hits Daily Double". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Australiancharts.com – Rob Thomas – Cradlesong". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "Rob Thomas Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Rob Thomas. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Rob Thomas – Cradlesong". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Rob Thomas – Cradlesong". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "Rob Thomas | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "Rob Thomas Album & Song Chart History". Billboard 200 for Rob Thomas. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
External links
- RobThomasMusic.com — Rob Thomas's official website