An Attempt at a Music Commentary

Notice I went against saying "review" there?

Since the release of "Stand Up" in 2005, Dave Matthews Band has had a roller coaster of existence. I learned from a piece on CBS Sunday Morning that a year ago, Dave Matthews was ready to quit the band. Then Leroi Moore passed away suddenly, and Matthews rallied his band and got them to finish working on their latest album.

Part tribute, part return to their roots, "Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King" has finally emerged into existence.

It plays like a jam session, especially the two keynote tracks, "Funny the Way it Is" and "Why I Am," but it is a polished jam session. My complaint with "Stand Up" was that it sounded like a Dave Matthews Band hip-hop album for most of it ("American Baby" aside), and that was because they hired Eminem's producer, Mark Batson, who let the band sit around and smoke weed and work on the album. And so did he.

Leroi Moore's spirit hangs over "Groogrux" like a guiding force, and I think DMB knew it had to get this album right. The artwork on the cover invites us to a Bayou-style party, with Dave and the gang as the trumpeters. You can't help but dance along with the Groogrux King, as Matthews signs in "Why I Am."

Matthews himself sounds a lot better, too. Occasionally Dave has a problem sounding like some kind of monster with a beard, but this time he has a combination of his "Crash" voice and his "Crowded Streets" voice.

The only direct nod to Moore is a brief intro track of only his saxophone, and it is an eery little omen that sets the rest of the album up. But that's what makes it great. Rather than being a somber or dark collection, the band actually sounds like they're having fun again. Considering they were on the brink of destruction, Matthews deserves every bit of credit for keeping it all together to get the album out.

After several listening sessions, the album has everything that diehards like myself wanted, and some new sounds courtest of some horn players, Tim Reynolds, and Matthews on a banjo. The best thing about DMB is that the whole band is comprised of talented musicians who can also sing and play every instrument imaginable. The beauty of "Big Whiskey" is that it's got the jam session sound and great lyrics again.

It might not be as great as "Under the Table and Dreaming" and "Crowded Streets," but that's all relative when listening to DMB. Their work is viewed as a whole instead of epochs. And "Big Whiskey" proves that they're still doing what they do best.