Music: The Great Unknown by Rob Thomas

We all know I love Rob. So, you know, keep in mind I'm probably biased here.

Aquarians are weird. They're fiercely loyal and committed, but also fluid. They need things to move. Their also very caught up in connections, wether it those ties be between people or society at large. For an Aquarian it's more or less the same thing, actually, because they see that it's the minute bonds between people that hold us together as a world population. That's why so many Aquarians end up being activists of one kind or another. They see and feel all this so clearly it's sometimes painful. And like their Tarot significator the Star card, they must channel all that (pour the water) into their art or work or hobbies.

I don't mean to get woo-woo on you. It's just that these themes are recurring for Rob in his music. And yet one can't say "more of the same," really, because as an Aquarian he is fluid and does change things up a bit. There's something very definitely him at the core—echoes, say, of "Lonely No More" and the like—and yet no one of his solo albums, or of Matchbox Twenty's albums for that matter, sounds really alike.

Now, I originally said of "Trust You" that it didn't sound like Rob at all. And it still doesn't to me, not really. That song has Ryan Tedder/OneRepublic written all over it. That said, it has grown on me a bit. Other songs on The Great Unknown called to mind American Authors and Jason Mraz. This isn't a judgement, and not necessarily a bad thing, just very noticeable to me.

That said, I really did enjoy my first couple listens to the album. Most of it is upbeat, even danceable. The title song is slower and, intentionally or not, evokes the 23rd Psalm with its talk of valleys and, well, The Great Unknown.

I think so far I most like "Nlytm" and "Lie To Me," though there's no one song I don't like, which is pretty impressive. Yes, even "Trust You" will stay on my iPod. For now.

The whole thing hangs together quite well if you listen to it straight through. The next test will be to see if, when my iPod is on shuffle, I feel the need to skip through any of these songs when they surface. It does make a difference, believe it or not. Something that's fine in a bloc may not stand alone very well.

But thus far, it's all good.