Dave Matthews Band

Everyday

Obviously it's different..

Review Score:

(8/10)
I don't know whether to thank Glen Ballard or hate him. On one hand, he's helped Dave Matthews spring back from a bout with depression and spark a new burst of creative energy. On the other hand, he's trimmed this latest batch of songs into a radio-ready 4 minutes or so each (to the point where a few songs sound like they're just cut off in the middle) and weeded a fair amount of the band's spontaneous soul out of the latest album. For the most part he's also decided to subdue Leroi Moore's saxophone and Boyd Tinsley's violin as much as possible except for an occasional solo or backing line. If you listen there's some great instrumental work in there, but it's as subtle as the sound effects on a Pink Floyd album. Dave is more up-front here than on any other release. His incorporation of electric guitar does wonders, but one can't help but wonder what the group could have done with these songs collectively.

And yet - to me at least - it's still worth four stars. Underneath it all, despite the changes, this is still a very strong set of tunes. As usual there are some weak lyrics ("So Right," "When the World Ends"), but otherwise even the words are getting better. Musically they're still whipping their rock, folk and jazz influences into a spicy stew of flavors, as distinct as ever and sweeter on the ears than Crowded Streets. And on stage, these songs are going to sound fantastic. Just wait.

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