Besides being the former singer for Matchbox Twenty, Rob Thomas is best known for his collaboration with Carlos Santana on the Grammy-winning hit "Smooth," something he turned out to be yesterday morning during a promotional appearance at the Hard Rock Cafe in Station Square.

During a Q&A with an audience who had won tickets through Star 100.7 FM, Thomas came face to face with Carly Booth, a fan so overwhelmed by his presence it seemed like a "Saturday Night Live" skit. After she excitedly gushed into the mike, Thomas asked her, "Are you on Twitter? Were you talking about coming to the show today?" She was. "I recognized your little picture," he said.

The next question came from a woman asking if Thomas could give Carly a hug, and after his mini-set, he not only stepped off the stage for the hug, but escorted her out the Hard Rock's side door for a chat.

Thomas, who will be touring with a band in the fall, was here to promote his second solo album, "Cradlesong." During an acoustic set with guitarist Matt Beck, he poured lots of emotion into a slowed-down version of Matchbox hit "3 A.M.," "Lonely No More" and the new album's first single "Her Diamonds."

Between songs, he took some tough and totally random questions, especially for first thing in the morning, starting with "What is your favorite female body part?," to which he tactfully pointed to the nape of the neck.

Asked about Michael Vick, he said, "I wanted him to be strung up for a while ..." before saying that he thinks "The movement for anti-animal cruelty has gotten a lot of mileage out of this ... and there's a lot more he can do outside of prison."

On to more comfortable musical matters, Thomas talked about how he and Santana have stayed in touch over the 10 years since "Smooth."

"He calls me and says stuff like he had bad dreams about my energy. ... From most people, it's hippy dippy crap, but when Carlos calls, you pay attention."

Of course, people wanted to know if there was anything embarrassing on his iPod "like Britney Spears." "I do have some Britney Spears," he said, referring to "Toxic." "To say you like a Britney Spears song is not really saying you like Britney Spears. You like whoever wrote and produced that track."

Thomas also talked about growing up listening to artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Al Green with his mom in the car, noting "I think we grew up with a better musical pedigree," then urging people to get their kids to "listen to something other than the 17 artists that are selected for [them] with three songs on the radio."

Thomas said his own musical goals were to fall "somewhere between Willie Nelson and Depeche Mode."

And what if it he weren't a successful musician? What else would he do?

"I would just be a less successful musician," he said with a laugh. "That's all I'm really wired for."