All The Rob Thomas....

Think about it. Did Grand Funk or the Three Dog Night ever make a great album? But they had great singles. And that's why their greatest hits albums adorn your shelf. I thought of those bands and some others while listening to Matchbox Twenty's first compilation, Exile On Mainstream. Years ago I read an article about the band, in which one of the members said that Rob Thomas can shit hooks. Thomas' big critic's find him to be a vocally overbearing presence. Sort of a David Clayton-Thomas for the 90's/00's. But, for me, his songs are too catchy to ignore. You can do the latter easily if you're not a fan of Top 40. But Thomas is smart enough to hook his albums with just enough sure shots. And at 11 easily digestable tracks, the sure shots sound better here than when surrounded by filler. The band adds an EP of six songs, with a couple of them sounding like hits. Come to think of it, Blood Sweat & Tears' Greatest Hits album is pretty good.