out of the (match)box

i have been a fan of matchboxtwenty for the longest time.

i have all of their albums - yourself or someone like you, mad season and more than you think you are.

i can say with certainty that i like all of their songs, no exceptions. they tell stories of love, loss and of life and how to live it. i can go on and wax poetic about how i like the lyrics and everything but i know i risk sounding tacky and second-rate.

i like rob thomas and his voice. angsty is how i would describe it. for some reason, and like maroon5's adam levine, listening to him sing is enough to jumpstart my typically humdrum day. and it doesn't hurt that he was once considered one of the fifty most beautiful people walking on the planet. not bad. he rocks. period.

my question is why did rob thomas think out of the (match)box and leave his bandmates? if not for yahoo, i would not have known that he is striking it out on his own via his something to be album.

of course i have the cd. i am currently listening to the 8th track and it is kinda hard not to think of the pop-rock band for which he has been the lead singer and songwriter since 1998. ever the same and when the heartaches end sound sooo matchboxtwenty. i cannot feel much less hear the difference. i thought lonely no more, although a catchy tune, was a tad too pop and mainstream. well, these are just my thoughts, so...

so why did rob rob matchbox twenty of its heart and soul? i wonder if there is really no turning back for him. that would be sad.