Rob Thomas opens up
Chip Tooth Smile, his fourth solo album, by singing "I'm not afraid of getting older/I'm one less day from dying young." It's not a common sentiment for pop stars, but
Rob Thomas isn't a common pop star. Despite the slick reputation he acquired with "Smooth," his blockbuster collaboration with
Santana,
Thomas has often been concerned with troubling concerns. His gift has been disguising these disquieting moments in a shiny package, usually produced by
Matt Serletic. While
Thomas continues on this path on
Chip Tooth Smile, he parts ways with
Serletic for the first time in his 20-year career, opting to work with
Butch Walker instead. The change in collaborators does give
Thomas a bit of boost, even if it doesn't quite mark a shift in direction.
Chip Tooth Smile is filled with stirring power ballads and rousing anthems, songs where
Thomas reckons with the worst in him and finds solace in lasting love. With
Walker,
Thomas relies on bolder colors than he has in the recent past, but there's also an acceptance of the singer/songwriter's middle age; he's not expanding his worldview so much as refining it, attempting to articulate as cleanly and clearly as possible. To that end,
Chip Tooth Smile won't win any new fans, but it feels as complete a portrait of
Thomas' intent and gifts as possible: his openheartedness is as direct and forceful as the arena-filling anthems they accompany. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine