Taking time-outs keep Matchbox Twenty on top

FRONTING a successful rock band is no guarantee that you'll enjoy the same fortunes as a solo artist. Just look at the number of albums that Mick Jagger sells when he's not recording with his bandmates from The Rolling Stones.

But it's not always the same story. The likes of Justin Timberlake and Robbie Williams have become bigger artists in their own right than when they were part of a band. Likewise, Matchbox Twenty's frontman Rob Thomas has enjoyed plenty of success on his own.

After putting the band on hiatus in 2004 - while they were at the top of their game - the 41-year-old went on to enjoy an equally illustrious solo career that includes two platinum-selling Top Five albums, . . . Something To Be (2005) and Cradlesong (2009).