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Rob Thomas could switch careers, but why would he?Dec 20, 2009 (The Day - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Should Rob Thomas tire of the ol' pop star thing, he could pull a Darius Rucker and become a country music phenom. What got me thinking that during his Friday gig at Mohegan Sun Arena was his convincing Nashvillian turn on the song "Getting Late." Even his description of it -- "a happy song about death" -- was totally C&W. Which brings us to his potential alternative career number two: stand-up comic. Thomas showed himself to be quick-witted and droll as he talked about how his dog sometimes seems more evolved than his owner and as he goofed on himself for messing up the intro to the song "A New York Christmas." But ultimately tunesmith Thomas seems perfectly content with his place in pop music, and why not? His catchy, affirming songs had fans bopping along, especially for "Streetcorner Symphony" and "This Is How a Heart Breaks." He sounded strong, too, giving one of his more intriguing vocal performances on "Natural"; he dropped his voice into a low-register rumble that intensified the song's spooky aura. He put his voice to good use on a few covers that he spun with a subtly quirky delivery, including "Stand By Me." While Thomas handles the stage like a professional, he's somehow, happily, not slick. When he wasn't playing the guitar or piano, he was dancing around with endearingly awkward moves -- jittery leg bounce, chicken-like head bob, palm slapping time against his thigh. He's still rocking the modified Caesar hairdo that came into vogue when George Clooney was on "ER." Most performers project images of themselves on the arena's giant video screens -- not Thomas. They were used only for rather low-tech videos of, for instance, street scapes accompanying "Streetcorner Symphony." Thomas wasn't afraid of taking chances, even if they didn't always pay off. For his biggest hit, the Santana collaboration "Smooth," he slowed it down into an acoustic ballad. Although lovely, it really lost something by surrendering the sunny, rhythmic force of the original. He did toss a couple of Matchbox Twenty songs into the mix -- "Heavy" and "Bent" -- but said he doesn't do a lot of the group numbers in his solo show but is getting back together with the band next year. [email protected] To see more of The Day, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.theday.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Day, New London, Conn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |