| ...Something to Be | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album (DualDisc) by | ||||
| Released | April 5, 2005 (2005-04-05) | |||
| Recorded | 2004–2005 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:05 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Matt Serletic | |||
| Rob Thomas chronology | ||||
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| Singles from ...Something to Be | ||||
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...Something to Be is the debut solo album from theMatchbox Twenty lead singerRob Thomas. The album was released on April 5, 2005, and it debuted at No. 1 on the USBillboard 200 albums chart, knocking outMariah Carey'sThe Emancipation of Mimi.
The album spawned the US top ten hit "Lonely No More". It also featuresJohn Mayer's guitar on the single "Streetcorner Symphony".[6] The album was released in theDualDisc format, the first major album to be released that way. The album itself is certified Double Platinum by the RIAA in the US[7] and consists of several types of sounds, includingdance, pop,Latin, rock, andcountry, 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 2005–2006Something to Be Tour.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 57/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [9] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[10] |
| Paste | (favorable)[11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| Stylus | C[13] |
...Something to Be received mixed reviews frommusic critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaverage score of 57, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[8]
David Browne ofEntertainment 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 greatestBlack 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".[10]
Lindsay Whitfield ofSoul Shine Magazine also gave the album and some of 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".[14] Thomas Inskeep ofStylus Magazine gave the album a negative review (although the "C" rating reflects a more mixed attitude), calling it "mediocre" 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".[15]
Kevin Forest Moreau ofPaste 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.[11] 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".[16]
All tracks are written byRob Thomas, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Not Just a Woman" | 3:03 |
| 14. | "You Know Me" | 3:48 |
| 15. | "This Is How a Heart Breaks" (Pull's Defibrillator Mix) | 6:32 |
| 16. | "Lonely No More" (Clear Channel "Stripped" Mix) | 3:44 |
| 17. | "Lonely No More" (music video) | 3:45 |
| 18. | "Ever the Same" (music video) | 4:04 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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" (Pull's Defibrillator Mix) | 6:32 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Fallen" | 4:36 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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) |
Musicians
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| Technical personnel
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Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[38] | 3× Platinum | 210,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[39] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[40] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[41] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[7] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
