Alton Brown from the Food Network did almost an entire show on thermodynamics and using water to quickly thaw meat. I'll spare you the science but he demonstrated that water will thaw frozen meat significantly faster than air even when they are the same temperature.
Side note: my mother in law makes a fantastic oven roasted/braised brisket. The recipe calls for cooking it, then freezing it for a a few days, then reheating in the oven and serving. The freezing step helps create a tenderness that's hard to replicate.
