Recorded in East Rutherford, N.J., Listener Supported marked the point in Dave Matthews' career when his live releases officially outnumbered his studio releases. DMB aficionados ascribe the fullness of the band's sound here to the addition of new keyboardist Butch Taylor, and extended takes on "Two Step" and "Jimi Thing" show that despite the fact that Matthews is playing music that has been previously released, he and his flawlessly able supporting cast are adept at reworking the material. The rare appearance of "#40" will appeal to the die-hards.
Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King is Matthews' first studio album since 2005's Stand Up. Matthews not only sounds totally refreshed, he also exudes some quality sass. On "Grux," the opening track that is clearly geared towards modern rock radio (so is "Why I Am"), the dude actually gets all sexed up: "I like my coffee with toast and jelly/ But I'd rather be licking you from your back to your belly." Wow. All in all, Big Whiskey is DMB's most energetic, concise and pop-driven album in many a moon.
This 2003 concert, included in its entirety, finds the Dave Matthews Band scorching their way through hits, album cuts and excellent covers. "So Much To Say" and "Ants Marching" may be highlights, but it's Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" and the super jam that follows it, "Jimi Thing," that really cook.
Debuting at No. 1, Dave Matthews Band's fourth album opens with the rocking "I Did It," and keeps the tempo faster and the mood darker than usual with "When the World Ends." "The Space Between" was their first Top 40 hit, followed by "Everyday." There's a good chance, however, real fans can tell you the exact date and location the album's non-singles were last played live -- DMB's followers have a Dead-level dedication.
This is where it all began: Dave Matthews Band's debut album. Remember Two Things will shock any fan expecting pop tunes. It sounds like a different band when compared to the radio juggernaut DMB would eventually morph into. Here the group is all about neo-hippie jams that incorporate just about everything: rock, country, jazz and even world music. On extended tracks like "Ants Marching," "Recently" and "Seek Up," Matthews and company actually sound a lot like the mighty Blues Traveler.
Fans love the way Matthews reworks his music in the live setting. It's something he does as a part of the Dave Matthews Band and when he plays acoustic sets with longtime collaborator Tim Reynolds. On Live in Vegas, recorded at Planet Hollywood's Theater for the Performing Arts, the pair really outdoes itself. These aren't so much songs as open-ended meditations full of throaty howls and heady jams. For those who dig Matthews' ballads: no worries. There's a swell version of "Grace Is Gone."
Originally released in 1996, Crash is the album that put Dave Matthews on the map largely due to his signature tunes, "So Much To Say" and "Too Much." Matthews' distinctive vocal gymnastics and equally elastic jam-ability were revelatory to college kids all over the U.S. when this came out. Today, all the freshness and versatility he came out of the box with remains, as he continues to expand his audience. "Crash Into Me" was clearly a blueprint for his later megahits.
Dave Matthews Band have always crafted their studio albums while keeping one eye on the Billboard charts -- that is, they create tightly structured pop songs for radio consumption. The group's live performances, in contrast, tend to showcase its roots in jam-band goodness. Recorded fairly early in the band's career, Live at Red Rocks documents a band exploring jazz fusion, neo-hippie rock and Sting-inspired adult contemporary. DMB close the set with a rather incendiary reworking of "All Along the Watchtower."
Dave Matthews Band's least accessible record is 2002's Busted Stuff, but Before These Crowded Streets comes in a close second. On the group's initial releases for RCA, Matthews made sure to write radio-friendly pop. Crowded Streets, in contrast, spotlights his group's love for jammy improv, world rhythms and jazz fusion. He even employs the Kronos Quartet on a few tracks. And though it may not have grabbed the mass audiences like Under the Table and Dreaming and Crash, the record, in many ways, is more rewarding.
As with Live in New York City, released a year prior, 2011's Live at Wrigley Field is a two-disc monster showcasing the Dave Matthews Band's intense chops and tightly woven ensemble interplay. On this date, the group was particularly feisty and hard-jamming; Wrigley Field, the historic home of the Chicago Cubs, is a venue very few acts get to play. What's more, the concert was the last of DMB's 2010 summer tour -- thus, they were like a baseball team laying it all on the line in the ninth inning. Fanatics should look out for two rarities: "The Last Stop" and "Good Good Time."
A solo album from Matthews, 2003's Some Devil is the South African guitarist's first foray into the studio without his band. Although DMB cohort Tim Reynolds provides his customarily fantastic guitar complements, the album remains different from DMB material in its somber tone and the slightly more personal nature of Matthews' songwriting. Phish leader Trey Anastasio and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band also appear. The album won a Grammy for "Gravedigger," while the soul-funk workout "Save Me" and ebullient "So Damn Lucky" became concert staples.
Dave Matthews Band announced their intentions when the acoustic funk of "What Would You Say" became the de facto anthem for the new breed of young urban professionals in 1994. The album also produced hits in "Satellite" and "Ants Marching," and the effortless interplay between Matthews' and Tim Reynolds' guitar playing, as well as the subtle Afro-beat exuberance underneath, was nothing short of revelatory for jam rockers all over the U.S. Matthews' distinctive, practically gymnastic vocal style further announced the arrival of a highly realized new artist.
Busted Stuff is Matthews' dark album. Its core tracks -- introspective jam-rock far removed from his radio hits -- were recorded in 2000. For various reasons the band shelved the project until Matthews bowed to a growing number of fans demanding its release. Though the band added tracks and applied some touch-up work, Busted Stuff retains the mood of the original sessions. Half these songs are really nothing more than extended grooves laced with the most personal lyrics of Matthews' career.
The return of producer Steve Lillywhite obviously means his creative differences with Dave Matthews have been put to rest. This is a good thing: Away from the World exudes textures, colors, warmth and space unique to their working relationship. There's plenty of hushed acoustica ("Sweet," "Belly Full," "Snow Outside"). But the more compelling tunes are those with complex arrangements full of shifting time changes and layered horns. These include the chops-heavy "Belly Belly Nice" and the sprawling "Drunken Soldier," which surely explodes in a million different directions in the live setting.
This midcareer record marked Dave Matthews' return to a band setting after a successful solo detour, and the reunion is as breezy and comfortable as anything in their catalog. Beginning with the portrait of "Dream Girl" -- top untied and glistening deliciously in the summer sun -- the record is filled with bike rides, puppy love and warm nostalgia. Matthews' languid delivery gives these tunes their relaxed character (and makes the lone political treatise on Iraq, "Everybody Wake Up," an odd duck) and helps D.M.B. slouch past their midband crisis with the casual class of wrinkled linen.
