Rob Thomas knows a thing or two about writing a catchy melody.

As frontman for the rock band Matchbox Twenty, he’s responsible for the hits “Push,” “3AM,” “Mad Season” and “If You’re Gone.”

And let’s not forget “Smooth,” the 1999 smash hit he recorded with Carlos Santana.

His solo career has gone gangbusters, too, with hits including “Lonely No More” and “This Is How A Heart Breaks.”

Thomas will perform Tuesday at the Pikes Peak Center.

One of his oft-stated fears is writing the same song over and over – a reasonable concern after making music for the past two decades.

“One of the ways is by never being scared,” Thomas says.

“I didn’t want to get to the point where I wrote a song but it doesn’t sound like me. You’re always building your own personality. If you take everything from Matchbox Twenty to ‘Trust You’ (his new single), they’re all over the place. Hopefully it’s my voice that ties it all together.”

His latest album, “The Great Unknown,” was released in August.

“Rob Thomas remains a known quantity on his third solo album,” writes music critic Ben Watts on the website RollingStone.com. “While that means there aren’t many surprises, the good news is he’s still the same consummate pop-rock craftsman who has been making it all sound so smooth for years.”

Though Thomas modestly says he doesn’t know the magic formula for a hit song, his success rate betrays him.

“My goal is to write a song that other people would want to hear but doesn’t sound exactly like what’s out there right now,” he says. “I also think I’m a fairly normal person and I feel like I’m a good litmus. If I like a song a small group of people will like it too.”

And at 43, even though the pop music genre is filled to bursting with new, young talent, he’s not concerned with staying relevant.

“At the end of day I’m appreciating that I’m the guy who’s been around 20 years,” he says. “I feel like I don’t have to set the world on fire. I don’t have to be a giant cultural icon.”

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7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., $39.50-$85; 520-7469, ticketswest.com.