July 31, 2018

Grip Inc. - Power of Inner Strength (1995)

By 2 comments
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Groove Metal
Label Number: P2 53964

© 1995 Metal Blade Records
AllMusic Review by Vincent Jeffries
Led by ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, Grip Inc. released this debut on the Metal Blade label in 1995. Joining Lombardo on this progressive thrash opus are Gus Chambers (vocals), Waldemar Sorychta (guitars, keyboards), and Jason Viebrooks (bass). More than just a guitar player, Sorychta performs double duty on Power of Inner Strength as the record's producer. Fans of Lombardo's work with Slayer will enjoy the drummer's double bass work and overall aggression throughout the disc. Standout drum tracks "Cleanse the Seed" and "Toque de Muerto" deserve special mention for their rhythmic power and originality. Extended bridges featuring Lombardo's drumming afford Chambers the luxury of picking his vocal spots, and the singer deftly uses his allotted space to maintain the record's intensity. Viebrooks and Sorychta also do their part and stay inside Lombardo's massive groove. The three chase each other through progressive metal shifts and turns, displaying a musical commitment rare among their '90s metal brethren. Listeners fond of music that is both technically demanding and extremely heavy should bask in the considerable heat generated by Power of Inner Strength's prog metal fire.

tags: grip inc, power of inner strength, 1995, flac,
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Grip Inc. - Nemesis (1997) ☠

By , 5 comments
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Groove Metal
Label Number: 3984-14119-2
☠: Selected by Buccaneer
© 1997 Metal Blade Records
AllMusic Review by Vincent Jeffries
The second release from this power-metal quartet offers more of Grip Inc.'s relentless riffing plus a little bit extra. Bandleader and metal legend Dave Lombardo delivers all the massive drumming fans should expect while his fellow musicians Gus Chambers (vocals,) Waldemar Sorychta (guitars, keyboards,) and bassist Jason Viebrooks push their progressive metal to new textural extremes. Chambers turns up the intensity on tracks like "Portrait of Henry" with his searing voice while Sorychta adds his own colorful guitar trickery and even some smooth keyboard work on choice cuts "The Summoning" and "Rusty Nail." Of course, Lombardo's crushing drum work takes center stage on this 1997 Metal Blade release, with the closer "Code of Silence" putting an emphatic punctuation on what is yet another demonstration of the musician's -- and his band's -- technical and creative metal mastery.

tags: grip inc, nemesis, 1997, flac,
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Grip Inc. - Solidify (1999)

By 1 comment
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Groove Metal
Label Number: 3984-14202-2

© 1999 Metal Blade Records
AllMusic Review by Vincent Jeffries
On this their third release, the Dave Lombardo-led Grip Inc. seem to be reaching beyond the thrash and power-metal relentlessness of their first two recordings. Joined by new bassist Stuart Caruthers, ex-Slayer drummer Lombardo, vocalist Gus Chambers and guitarist/producer Waldemar Sorychta, deploy a more open, but still aggressive approach on Solidify. Drummers can again marvel at Lombardo's expressive and technically excellent tom work on cuts like 7"Bug Juice" and "Lockdown." More room is give to Chambers on mellower numbers like "Human?" and "Griefless" and the singer gives accordingly dynamic performances. While Grip Inc. move slightly away from their all out aggression on Solidify, they maintain their highly progressive flavor without ever confusing the musical issue. The resulting material may have a more song-driven feel, but on Solidify, the LA band never compromise their dense musicality or fiery message.

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Grip Inc. - Incorporated (2004)

By 1 comment
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Groove Metal
Label Number: SPV 085-69522 CD-E

© 2004 SPV, Steamhammer Records
AllMusic Review by John Serba
For their fourth album, Grip Inc. has solidified into a terrifically cold and destructive metal machine. While a lot of underground acts in the early 2000s strived to emulate the increasingly popular medieval torture devices (so to speak) of Scandinavia's finest, Incorporated is thoroughly modern, an impressively clinical and precise record, fully industrialized and loaded with razor-sharp riffs, ballsy vocals, and thunder drums. European producer and guitarist extraordinaire Waldemar Sorchyta is Grip Inc.'s main creative force, but on-again, off-again Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo gives the band a chilly technical edge that is uniquely the product of the mind-bogglingly influential skinsman. Add in vocalist Gus Chambers' powerful, full-bodied vocals -- refreshingly, there are no affected death growls here, just a deep well of a throat that refuses to shy away from a thick melody -- and Incorporated successfully bucks many of metal's genre-specific trends (i.e., mindless death metal brutality, mosh-happy retro-thrash, grating black metal scrapes, boneheaded hardcore grunt'n'shoves). The album is simultaneously mechanistic and tribal, at times flavored with Middle Eastern melodies and electronic flourishes, Sorchyta's steamroller mix blotting out the sun and meshing perfectly with compellingly twisty arrangements. The guitarist's artery-bursting riffs churn, bubble, and boil during precision speedsters "Curse (Of the Cloth)" and "Endowment of Apathy," while midtempo march "(Built To) Resist" spotlights Lombardo's in-the-pocket prowess (he inarguably has the best feet in metal) while piling on, fugue-like, a vaguely sinister string arrangement and dense melodic layers, eventually building to a mountainous, weighty climax. Point being, Incorporated is a collection of top-flight riffs smartly choreographed into 11 spot-on tunes highlighted by performances brimming over with personality (although Lombardo reins in the experimentalism of weirdo Mike Patton project Fantômas and his solo work) and chops to spare. It's another impressive effort -- like 1999's hopelessly overlooked Solidify -- for Grip Inc., whose increasingly impressive discography has been met with a collectively indifferent shrug from too many metal aficionados. Here's hoping Incorporated enlightens more to this well-seasoned, pseudo-supergroup collective, which seems disparate on paper, but truly is greater than the sum of its parts.

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Death Angel - The Ultra-Violence (1987) ☠

By , 4 comments
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Label Number: CDE-73253
☠: Selected by Buccaneer
© 1987 Enigma Records
AllMusic Review by Eduardo Rivadavia
Though they were immediately pegged as the runts of the Bay Area thrash metal scene for barely being old enough to drive, Death Angel quickly silenced most critics with their ambitious first album, The Ultra-Violence. Technically on par with many of their older peers, the album still showed a lot of room for growth, however -- especially in the songwriting department. "Evil Priest" and "Kill As One" thrash out convincingly enough, but "Mistress of Pain" and "Voracious Souls" are the only somewhat fully realized songs on the album. And at over ten minutes, the yawn-inducing multi-part title track is the best example of the group's desperate desire to impress with quantity, instead of quality. Thankfully, the band would continue to improve, and subsequent efforts saw them gradually fulfill their promise

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Death Angel - Frolic Through The Park (1988)

By 3 comments
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Label Number: D2-73332, 3332-2

© 1988 Enigma Records
AllMusic Review by Eduardo Rivadavia
Death Angel's second effort, 1988's Frolic Through the Park, found the band improving on its technical thrash formula, as their developing musical ability began to do their ambitious songwriting some justice. "Why You Do This," "Devil's Metal," and "Confused" are prime examples of the band's intricate sound, which, unfortunately, tended to sacrifice concise hooks and melody for overblown song structures and arrangements. The only exception turns out to be the album's strongest cut, "Bored," which shows a rare sense of humor and musical restraint. Also of note is the excellent playing of guitarist Rob Cavestany, who holds everything together with his tasteful and skillful axe work.

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Death Angel - Act III (1990) ☠

By , 2 comments
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Label Number: 9 24280-2
☠: Selected by Buccaneer
© 1990 Geffen Records
AllMusic Review by Eduardo Rivadavia
San Francisco's precocious Death Angel finally reached musical adulthood (though some band members were still barely old enough to vote) with 1990's Act III. Their first album to benefit from major-label distribution and a truly top-notch production courtesy of Max Norman, it also witnessed the continuing development of lead guitarist Rob Cavestany, who literally dominated the album with his impressive chops and superior songwriting. Coupled with his generally well-thought out lyrics (sung by the still mediocre Mark Osegueda), songs like "A Room With a View," "The Organization," and especially first single "Seemingly Endless Time" seemed to confirm the band's destiny as apparent heirs to intellectual thrashers Anthrax, then in swift decline. Sadly, a number of external (sparse promotional support, the genre's dwindling popularity) and internal forces (bandmate squabbling) would make this the band's final album. At least it served as a fond farewell and remains the ideal starting point to the Death Angel discography.

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Eric's Trip - Love Tara (1993)

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Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: Grunge, Indie Rock
Label Number: SP 234b
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© 1993 Sub Pop
AllMusic Review by Heather Phares
Their full-length debut, Love Tara, introduced this lo-fi pop band to the world with beautiful and noisy tracks like "Smother." This record was also one of the first to mark Sub Pop's journey from the Seattle grunge scene to a lighter, more melodic form of music.

tags: erics trip, love tara, 1993, flac,
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Eric's Trip - Forever Again (1994)

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Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: Grunge, Indie Rock
Label Number: SP 268 B

© 1994 Sub Pop
AllMusic Review by Heather Phares
At 17 tracks, the group's expansive follow-up, Forever Again, could be considered too long to hold attention, but Eric's Trip's power to soothe and seethe at the same time remains captivating. Tracks like "New Love" confirm that the band's sound is a study in contradictions: It's instantly catchy, but it sounds like it was recorded on an answering machine; it's punk rock, but it's dreamy, too. The sound effects on the album -- a rainy day and a busy street -- heighten the album's entrancing mood.

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Eric's Trip - Purple Blue (1996)

By 2 comments
Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: Post Grunge, Indie Rock
Label Number: SPCD 333

© 1996 Sub Pop
AllMusic Review by Brian Way
Belying the Sonic Youth redux implications of their band name, Halifax, Nova Scotia's Eric's Trip (the title of a track from Daydream Nation) were more the epitome of Superchunk's noise-pop aesthetic. On their third official album, Purple Blue, shades of Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, Eleventh Dream Day, Pixies and Sugar all creep in periodically, but that's merely in line with the sound of most '90s indie rock across the continent, from Seattle to Chapel Hill. The Rick White songs are definitive noise-pop: short, concise, and roughed-up with distortion and occasionally eruptions into the Neil Young style of guitar pyrotechnics favored by J Mascis, while the Julie Doiron songs have the quiet-loud-quiet dynamics and sweet sing-songy vocals favored by Kim Deal and company. This is not to say the band is derivative, but a cursory listen to Purple Blue should allow even an amateur musical historian to place this album in context. The only anomaly is the "medley" "Introduction into The...Parts 1 to 4," an ill-advised song suite that's in reality a muddled hodgepodge consisting of an opening blast of feedback followed by an acoustic ditty sung by White, a dreamy ballad sung by Doiron, a fuzz guitar and brushed drums shoegaze samba, and a slow-motion piano-dappled dreamscape, all tied together with smidgens of lackluster audience applause that only serves to confuse the listener, especially as it's the album opener. The remainder of the album sets forth the band's blueprint of psych- and noise-tinged anthemic pop with just enough dissonance and dynamics to keep the mosh pit moving. It spans the gamut from My Bloody Valentine-esque waltz-time dream pop like "Universal Dawn" to driving motorik like "Sixteen Hours" to rollicking stompers like "Spaceship Opening." It's a fine effort, and in reality not as formulaic as one might think. And with most songs around or under the three-minute mark, if one track doesn't inspire there will be another one just around the corner. It will be a shame if history doesn't remember Eric's Trip in the same canon as their more illustrious peers, but the U.S.'s little brother Canada often seems to get the short end of the stick.

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Selena - Ven Conmigo (1990)

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*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
(Se incluye una foto del disco en el archivo)
Country: U.S.A.
Language: Spanish (Español)
Genre: Tejano, Cumbia, Pop
Label Number: H2H-42359
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© 1990 Capitol Records, Inc.
*No professional reviews available for this release.

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July 29, 2018

Dave Matthews Band - Remember Two Things (1993)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Rock
Label Number: BAMA 001

© 1993 Bama Rags Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Although the Dave Matthews Band's debut album, Remember Two Things, is hindered by a number of long-winded jams and an unfocused production, the record is an impressive showcase for their instrumental prowess.

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Dave Matthews Band - Under The Table & Dreaming (20th Anniversary Edition)

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*Reissued & remastered in 2014 
by Bama Rags Recordings. 
Contains 3 bonus tracks.
 15 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Rock
Label Number: 88875009612

© 1994-2014 Bama Rags Recordings, LLC
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
On their major-label debut, Under the Table and Dreaming, the Dave Matthews Band is helped by the lean production of Steve Lillywhite, who manages to rein in the group's tendency to meander. The result is a set of eclectic pop/rock that is accentuated by bursts of instrumental virtuosity instead of being ruled by it. That also means that the Dave Matthews Band is capable of turning out pop songs, and as the hit single "What Would You Say" and "Ants Marching" illustrate, they have a flair for catchy hooks.

tags: dave matthews band, under the table and dreaming, 1994, 2014 reissue, flac,
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Dave Matthews Band - Crash (1996)

By 2 comments
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock
Label Number: 07863 66904-2

© 1996 RCA Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Under the Table and Dreaming, the Dave Matthews Band's first major-label album, was their popular breakthrough, bringing their mildly eclectic sound to a mass audience. Although the group appeals to the same audience as Blues Traveler, Hootie & the Blowfish, and the Spin Doctors, the Dave Matthews Band has more influences than their peers. Fusing together folk-rock, worldbeat, jazz, and pop, the band is arguably the most musically adept of all their contemporaries. However, they have trouble coming up with engaging hooks, as their third album, Crash, proves. Although the band continues to get better -- their musical cross-breeding is effortless and seamless -- they often don't have an attractive frame for their skills. Strangely, the lack of memorable melodies doesn't particularly hurt the album -- it actually emphasizes the band's instrumental talents. Nevertheless, since there's a lack of strong pop hooks, Crash is an album that will please fans, but not novices

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Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets (1998)

By No comments
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Rock, Jazz Rock
Label Number: 07863 67660-2

© 1998 RCA, BMG Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The Dave Matthews Band made their reputation through touring, spending endless nights on the road improvising. Often, their records hinted at the eclecticism and adventure inherent in those improvisation, but Before These Crowded Streets is the first album to fully capture that adventurous spirit. Not coincidentally, it's their least accessible record, even if it's more of a consolidation than it is a step forward. Early Dave Matthews albums were devoted to the worldbeat fusions of Graceland and Sting, but his RCA efforts incorporated these influences into a smoother, pop-oriented style. Here, everything hangs out. Old trademarks, like jittery acoustic grooves and jazzy chords, are here, augmented by complex polyrhythms, Mideastern dirges, and on two tracks, the slashing strings of the Kronos Quartet. Some fans may find the new, darker textures a little disarming at first, but they're a logical extension of the group's work, and in many ways, this sonic daring results in the most rewarding album they've yet recorded. The Dave Matthews Band haven't completely vanquished their demons, however -- songwriting remains a problem, especially since relying on grooves, improvisation, and texture allows them to skimp on melody, and Matthews' lyrics can be awkward and embarrassing, especially if he's writing about sex. Still, these are minor flaws on an album that relies on tone and improvisation, both of which are in ample supply on Before These Crowded Streets.

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Dave Matthews Band - Everyday (2001) ☠

By , No comments
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock, Rock
Label Number: 07863 67988-2
☠: Selected by Lass
© 2001 RCA, BMG Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The fourth proper studio album by the Dave Matthews Band had a rough birth, as the group jettisoned a set of sessions recorded with their longtime producer Steve Lillywhite, starting afresh with Glen Ballard, the mastermind behind Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill. Ballard has a tremendous influence on the resulting record, collaborating with Matthews on every track and changing the direction of their sound. To a certain extent, the change is welcome, since Before These Crowded Streets suggested that the group was running out of steam, but the sudden shift toward measured maturation and slickness is jarring all the same, since it emphasizes Matthews' melodies and leadership over the group interplay that is the group's calling card. It's not that the music is now simplistic, since there are still some tricky rhythms and shifts in tone, but the group doesn't have much room to stretch in Ballard's precise arrangements. In a sense, they sort of benefit from this increased focus, since the group's instrumental excursions can be a little flabby, but it still robs them of much of their character. Also, Everyday sounds like it was the product of a difficult birth, and wouldn't have gelled if Ballard hadn't been involved, pushing Matthews toward completion. It does result in a record that's more cohesive than its predecessor, but it's far less engagingly loose-limbed than DMB at its peak. Perhaps that's just a byproduct of maturation, but Everyday feels like forced maturation, a record that suppresses the group's best attributes in favor of a moderate, self-consciously classy stab at adult pop. That it works pretty well at that level is a testament to Ballard's skills, but it feels more like a weirdly abortive solo project by Matthews than a full-fledged DMB effort.

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Dave Matthews Band - Busted Stuff (2002)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Rock
Label Number: 07863 68117-2

© 2002 RCA, BMG Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The Dave Matthews Band may not have released the Lillywhite Sessions -- the semi-legendary soul-searching album recorded in 2000 but abandoned in favor of the heavy-handed, laborious Glen Ballard-produced Everyday -- but they couldn't escape its shadow. Every review, every article surrounding the release of Everyday mentioned it, often claiming it was better than the released project -- an opinion the band seemed to support by playing many numbers from the widely bootlegged lost album on tour in 2001. Since they couldn't run away from the Lillywhite Sessions, they decided to embrace it, albeit on their own terms. They didn't just release the album, as is. They picked nine of the best songs from the sessions, reworked some of them a bit, tinkered with the lyrics, re-recorded the tunes with a different producer (Stephen Harris, a veteran of post-Brit-pop bands like the Bluetones, plus engineer on U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind), added two new songs, and came up with Busted Stuff, a polished commercial spin on music widely considered the darkest, most revealing work Matthews has yet created. Remarkably, these songs not only retain their emotional core even after they've been cleaned up, but they perhaps even gain more resonance in this setting. After all, Steve Lillywhite is hardly Steve Albini, and while the initial versions of these songs were raw, it was as much because they were not quite finished as they were Matthews exposing his soul. Here, these songs have been completed, not just in the writing but in the arrangement and production, so they sound just as personal to Dave Matthews, but also sound like fully realized DMB songs. And while they do jam a bit -- in, surprise!, a song called "Kit Kat Jam" -- that's not the emphasis of their performances; in these slow, moody pieces, they provide supple support to Matthews' elliptical, winding melodies and searching lyrics. The band sounds unified, and so does the album; one of the new songs, "Where Are You Going," sounded dull on its first appearance on the Mr. Deeds soundtrack, but here, it's part of the fabric of the album, equally effective in sustaining the reflective, not depressive, tone of the album. Here, there's none of the loose-limbed, frat-boy funk from DMB's previous albums, none of the smirking jokiness that has plagued their up-tempo jams, while the heartache and yearning that once seemed affected in their ballads is palpably real. It's not so much a departure as it is an unexpected twist in their career. By leaving behind the key elements that defined their music, DMB has revealed that they can hit a deeper emotional chord and, in the process, deliver what's unquestionably the best album of their career.

tags: dave matthews, busted stuff, 2002, flac,
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Dave Matthews Band - Stand Up (2005)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock
Label Number: 82876 68796-2

© 2005 RCA Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Given the slew of live albums that clutter its discography, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that the Dave Matthews Band hasn't cut all that many studio albums. Just five in ten years, in fact (2003's Some Devil was a solo side project by Matthews), and two of those were made in the aftermath of the unreleased 2000 Steve Lillywhite sessions -- a set of heavily bootlegged recordings that most serious DMB fans consider among the group's strongest work. The brouhaha surrounding the Lillywhite recordings and, particularly, their polished, mannered Glen Ballard-produced 2001 substitute, Everyday, may not have affected the group's sales, but it sure wreaked havoc on the psyches of the band and its fans, who questioned the band's direction after Everyday. But all of that turmoil disguised a problem that the group faced: they still could captivate fans in concert, but as a recording unit, the Dave Matthews Band was having some serious problems figuring out where to go next. They pulled it together on Busted Stuff -- a de facto do over for the Lillywhite sessions that also functioned as a tidy apology for the Ballard debacle -- but that album was essentially a holding pattern, since the songs were older than those on Everyday, which makes 2005's Stand Up the first album of new material since that 2001 album, and it finds the band right back where it was after Before These Crowded Streets: the guys don't know what the hell to do next.
Five years ago, Matthews initially responded to that puzzle with a set of soul-searching songs, but he abandoned them in favor of a collaboration with Ballard, a producer so meticulous, each of his projects is given a similar sheen that's mainstream but not quite pop. Having tried that approach, DMB decided to team up with a very different producer this time around -- Mark Batson, who made his bones with modern R&B and hip-hop records by the likes of India Arie, Joe, Beyoncé, and Seal. This doesn't result in an extreme makeover -- which, quite frankly, would have been more interesting -- but instead a gentle gloss on the band's sound that renders it sleek, muted, and rather lifeless. Batson produces the DMB as he would any other record: he keeps the mixes relatively spare and open, cutting up the rhythms in the computer, polishing it all so it glistens. It may not be as robotic as Ballard's approach -- it's much warmer actually, even if all the emphasis is on the surface -- but it still doesn't play to the group's strengths as a band as a performing unit. Too many of the cuts appear pieced together in the studio, never once capturing the energy of a band playing live. And when the group does lay into a groove, as it does on the title track or "Old Dirt Hill" (never has a song struggled so hard to sound breezy), the music sounds stiff and stilted, a faltering attempt to replicate what came so easily to the band a decade ago. But the fault should not be placed at Batson's feet, as he pulls out all of his tricks to save a set of moribund music. Matthews pulls away from any of the progress he made as a writer on both Busted Stuff and Some Devil. His ballads regain their sense of static, turgid monotony and he often resorts to the smirky humor that plagued his earliest work. To top it all off, Matthews sounds ragged, his voice breathy and torn to shreds. It's immediately distracting on the opener, "Dreamgirl" -- which romanticizes a "good, good drunk" -- and that scratchiness never goes away, providing an appropriately worn, tattered center for an album that is directionless, ham-fisted, consciously classy, and ultimately bland, the kind of record that could make longtime fans doubt about sticking around from this point on. Not only does Stand Up fail to solve the central question of where does the Dave Matthews Band go next, it suggests that even though they are aware of the problem, they haven't really pondered what to do about it, or what it means for them in the long term.

tags: dave matthews band, stand up, 2005, flac,
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Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey & The GrooGrux King (2009)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock
Label Number: 88725-45257-2

© 2009 RCA Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tragedy has a way of putting everything into perspective, a truism that's brought into sharp relief by the Dave Matthews Band. LeRoi Moore, the group's saxophonist, died in 2008, something that shook the DMB to their core and they've responded as any working band does: by carrying on, playing gigs -- including one on the day of his passing -- and finishing the album they were recording at the time of his death, turning Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King into a tribute to their fallen comrade. By saluting his spirit, DMB wind up returning to their roots, jettisoning any of the well-manicured crossover pop of Stand Up and reviving the loose-limbed jams that were their '90s specialty, a sound they've largely abandoned -- at least on record -- since 1998's Before These Crowded Streets. During that long, long decade between Before and Big Whiskey, DMB remained one of America's biggest bands even though much of those ten years found Matthews working through various existential crises -- things got too big so he pulled away from the band, turned out a dark solo record, then came back -- and his namesake band drifted along with him. Here, everything snaps back into focus: what was glossy is now clean and unvarnished; there is no avoidance of their rangy, loping rhythms or predilection for elastic solos; and these signatures -- shunned on record, not on-stage -- are embraced warmly, given muscle, and married to the dark undercurrents that have flowed throughout Matthews' new-millennium writing. Surely, Moore's early death weighs heavily here -- he is the GrooGrux King of the album's title and there are many allusions to him in lyrics -- but Matthews also ties in references to Hurricane Katrina and war, all as part of his wide-open meditations on mortality and morality. Not all of Big Whiskey is about death: there is an equal amount of love tunes, plus one of Matthews' casually vulgar sex songs, all celebrating enduring relationships, providing a counterpoint to the waves of melancholy. But what makes Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King the Dave Matthews Band's richest, and quite possibly best, album is the implicit message that all the love and loss can be felt and shared through the music, that the creation of the music itself is the reason why they're here -- and that's not just a moving tribute to LeRoi Moore, it's a reason for the band to keep moving on.

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Dave Matthews Band - Away From The World (Deluxe Edition) (2012)

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*Contains 3 bonus live tracks. 
14 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Rock
Label Number: 88697-48712-2

© 2012 RCA Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Getting back to the basics after a semi-extended break, Dave Matthews Band reunites with producer Steve Lillywhite -- the man who helmed their big major-label hits of the '90s -- for Away from the World, 2012's long-gestating sequel to 2009's Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. This marks the first time Lillywhite has worked with DMB since 1998's Before These Crowded Streets, and there's no denying he's the best producer for the band, articulating their elasticity with clarity and reigning in their excesses. Which isn't to say Away from the World is streamlined, as it hardly is. It has frayed ends and odd shifts, moments of great exuberance countered with quivering sensitivity, tightly written pop songs giving way to mini-epics, love songs balanced with ribald paeans to dripping peaches and full bellies. It's a little of everything that the Dave Matthews Band does, condensed to a relatively tight 53 minutes, Lillywhite giving the inherent digressions crispness and warmth, just like he did on Under the Table and Dreaming and Crash, but for as much as this recalls the sound of prime '90s DMB, Away from the World is clearly the work of a veteran band, one not so concerned with hits, one that likes to live within the well-etched world they've created. Sure, a few of these songs could conceivably cross over beyond the DMB diehards -- "If Only" is underpinned by some seductive soul groove, "Rooftop" carries a big pop hook, while the sex romp "Belly Belly Nice" evokes memories of "Ants Marching" -- but there is no real attempt to broaden their audience, nor is there the self-conscious stretching that marked some of Matthews' 2000s albums. Matthews is quite content where he is, writing songs about his family, wife, the world, and life as he approaches middle age, happy to consolidate DMB's strengths without quite seeming settled. Consequently, Away from the World is a bit of a rare thing: a return to form lacking an ounce of nostalgia.

tags: dave matthews band, away from the world, deluxe edition, 2012, flac,
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Dave Matthews Band - Come Tomorrow (2018)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Rock
Label Number: 88985-41242-2

© 2018 RCA, Bama Rags Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Come Tomorrow arrives six years after Away from the World, by far the longest span of time separating albums in Dave Matthews Band history. During those years, DMB did what they always do: they toured every summer. This time, the group started chipping away at a new album, reuniting with many of the producers and engineers they worked with in the past. Steve Lillywhite, who helmed Away from the World, may be absent, but Rob Cavallo, the producer behind Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King, is here, along with the R&B-savvy Stand Up producer Mark Batson and John Algia, who worked with DMB prior to their 1994 major-label debut, Under the Table and Dreaming. This laundry list of collaborators may suggest there were an awful lot of cooks in the kitchen for Come Tomorrow, yet the album is remarkably cohesive, representing a moody shift away from the settled sunniness of Away from the World. Darkness is no stranger to Matthews -- even his sunnier records have their share of meditative numbers -- but Come Tomorrow is a cousin to Some Devil and Busted Stuff, two albums that appeared in the dawning years of the 21st century that found the singer/songwriter questioning his purpose after the first flush of success. On this collection of songs, a handful of which are nearly a decade old, Matthews isn't quite as gloomy and unsettled as he was during the days after Y2K -- he throws in a handful of randy vamps and slow jams to puncture the mood -- but there's a sense that something is nagging at Matthews. That unease binds Come Tomorrow and is also articulated nicely by Matthews himself, whose weathered vocals feel appropriate weary. This leathery singing is new for DMB, as is the de facto absence of violinist Boyd Tinsley, who departed the band during the completion of this record under a cloud of sexual misconduct allegations. Without Tinsley or the late LeRoi Moore, Dave Matthews Band don't seem as loopy or rangy as they did in their prime, but this leaner sound suits a middle-aged Matthews, who is comfortable in his skin yet restless in his mind.

tags: dave matthews band, come tomorrow, 2018, flac,
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