''Chip Tooth Smile'' is the fourth studio album by American singer Rob Thomas, released on April 26, 2019, through

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. It is his first album in four years, following 2015's '' The Great Unknown'', and was preceded by the single "

One Less Day (Dying Young) "One Less Day (Dying Young)" is a song by American singer Rob Thomas (musician), Rob Thomas. It is the first single from the album ''Chip Tooth Smile'', released on February 20, 2019. Background He told ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' that wh ...

", which reached the top 20 at

adult contemporary radio Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...

in the United States. Thomas embarked on tour in North America in support of the album in May 2019.

Background

The album title comes from a chipped tooth Thomas got when he was a teenager

slamdancing Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other. Taking place in an area called the mosh pit (or simply the pit), it is typically performed to aggressive st ...

. After his success with Matchbox Twenty, Thomas could finally afford dental work, although his wife stated that he wasn't allowed to get his chip tooth fixed, believing his "chip tooth smile" gave him personality. The album is produced by

Butch Walker Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was lead guitarist for the glam metal band, SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s. From 1997 to 2001, he became th ...

. Thomas began telling people that Walker was producing the album before he had talked to Walker about it, eventually telling him that "he had to do the record because I already told everyone that he's doing it". Thomas has described the record as "mostly me and Butch" as there were only two other musicians that played on the album. The music was shaped by Thomas' 1980s influences as well as "the pop-rock songs for which he's become so well-known." Thomas stated that while making the album, he was doing so primarily for his fans and not to necessarily draw in those who had not previously heard his music.

Promotion

Thomas called lead single "One Less Day (Dying Young)" an "anthem about life and living". It was considered similar in sound to

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

, as was the

album cover An album cover (also referred to as album art) is the front packaging art of a commercially released album, studio album or other audio recordings. The term can refer to: * the printed paperboard covers typically used to package: ** sets of a ...

. A music video was also released for the track, directed by

Andy Morahan Andrew Douglas Morahan (born 11 August 1958) is a British commercial, film and music video director. He is the son of director Christopher Morahan and the half-brother of actress Hattie Morahan. Married to Joanna Lewis, he has two children. ...

, that shows Thomas performing the song surrounded by candles and accompanied by a

fire dancer Fire performance is a group of performance arts or skills that involve the manipulation of fire. Fire performance typically involves equipment or other objects made with one or more wicks which are designed to sustain a large enough fla ...

Track listing

Personnel

* Jonathan Allen – strings engineer (6, 8) * Simon Baggs – violin (6, 8) * Matt Beck – guitar (7), piano (7, 8) *

Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer and songwriter. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall ...

– instrumentation, programming, and keyboards (7) * Natalia Bonner – violin (6, 8) * Lori Casteel – strings copyist (6, 8) * Mike Casteel – strings copyist (6, 8) * Richard Cookson – viola (6, 8) * Caroline Dearnley – cello (6, 8) * Zvi "Angry Beard Man" Edelman – production coordinator (7) *

Mark Endert Mark Philip Endert (born January 17, 1971) is an American record producer and audio engineer. Best known for his work with alternative rock bands, he has won a Grammy Award from two nominations. Biography From the early 1990s to the present, End ...

– mixing (1-6, 8-12) * Jonathan Evans-Jones – violin (6, 8) *

Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...

– mixing (7) * John Hanes – engineer for mix (7) * Peter Hanson – violin (6, 8) * Jackie Hartley – violin (6, 8) * Doug Johnson – assistant mixing engineer (1-6, 8-12) * Magnus Johnston – violin (6, 8) * Zach Kornhauser – additional engineering assistant and gang vocals (1, 10) *

Joe LaPorta Joseph J. LaPorta (born January 19, 1980) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey. Career LaPorta was born in New York and grew up there; he graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree in ...

– mastering * Julian Leaper – violin (6, 8) * Andrew "Schwifty" Luftman – production coordinator (7) *

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (born May 27, 1966) is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the bands Jellyfish, the Moog Cookbook, Imperial Drag, and The Lickerish Quartet. He has also spent several years as a member of Bec ...

– keyboards (1, 2, 8, 10) *

Rob Mathes Rob Mathes (born September 10, 1970) is an American record producer, music arranger, composer, songwriter, and performer. He also writes bluesy spiritual-pop music.Suzy Shinn Suzanne Lyn Shinn (born December 20, 1994) is an American producer, songwriter, and engineer based in Los Angeles. Shinn majored in music production and engineering at Berklee College of Music. She is known for her work with Panic! at the Disco, ...

– additional editing (1-6, 8-12) * Ebonie Smith – additional engineering and gang vocals (1) * Mark Stepro – drums (1, 4, 8, 10, 11) * Todd Stopera – assistant engineer (1-6, 8-12) * Astrid "Aaaaastriiiiid" Taylor – production coordinator (7) * Rob Thomas – vocals, guitar (7) *

– engineer, drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, programming, backing vocals, and percussion (1-6, 8-12) * Bruce White – viola (6, 8) * Paul Willey – violin (6, 8) * Tony Woollard – cello (6, 8) * Soffia "Sofabon" Yen – production coordinator (7)

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2019 albums Rob Thomas (musician) albums Albums produced by Butch Walker