With a title like "Everyday", it had to sound a little more normal.
Written: Feb 26 '01 (Updated Sep 17 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Dave Matthews plays electric guitar; CD is paced quite well; songs aren't as repetitive.
Cons: Hardly any room for classic DMB jamming; Boyd Tinsley is farther back in the mix.
The Bottom Line: Fans of the DMB's radio hits will love this, but fans expecting solos/extended jams will likely be disappointed. More Dave-centered than their past work.
divad23's Full Review: Everyday by Dave Matthews Band
Author's Note: My initial draft of this review had an incorrect track listing, as was pointed out to me by another Epinions member. Having received this track listing from someone who I thought had a pre-release, I grew accustomed to hearing the songs in that order, and received a bit of a surprise upon purchasing the CD and hearing the songs in their true order. To be honest, I liked the old order better, but I'll get to that. What you see now is a bit of a cut-and-paste of my first draft, so bear with me if it feels disjointed.
Man, I was scared when I heard the first single from this record back in January. As soon as "I Did It" made its way onto pop radio, with its electric guitars and overall fun, bouncy style, I wondered if the Dave Matthews Band I had come to know and love was gone forever. Now don't get me wrong - the song was a blast. I just wished it had been done by anyone other than the Dave Matthews Band.
Anyone who knows my views on Napster (i.e. download what you can while you can, but buy the CD's if you like them enough to keep the mp3's) will not be surprised to find out that Napster was the main tool for getting me hooked on the DMB. One day, I faintly recalled a few catchy tracks from the band's 1996 album Crash, which a college roommate of mine played frequently that year, and decided to download the album. It was better than I remembered, and before long, I was becoming decently familiar with the band's discography, as well as the plethora of live versions that were available on the Internet (and sanctioned by the band, mind you). Out of their entire catalog, I will say that I really enjoy nearly every song they've put out. Even if the lyrics are throwaway (which they usually aren't, but every band has their bad days), the music is generally top-notch. This is still the case on Everyday, I assure you. What has happened here, however, is that the band is beginning to lose their uniqueness (which is surprising, coming on the heels of their hard-to-get-into, but ultimately deep and rewarding 1998 album Before These Crowded Streets). Once, they were the jazz and folk influenced acoustic rock band that almost anyone could immediately identify on the radio. These days, they are more of a smooth pop/rock band with some interesting instruments in the background. While they have crafted some great songs here, it's no longer something that some other band couldn't have done, for the most part.
I Did It starts things off with a bang, dominated by Dave's electric guitar, and is quite fun and bouncy. The lyrics have a tinge of naughtiness to them - Dave has done something that someone thought he shouldn't do, and we get the feeling it involves love or sex. His playful, slippery vocals add a lot to the song as he describes never doing "a single thing to change the ugly ways of the world" and not really caring all that much, because he's having a good time. This sort of devil-may-care attitude follows up perfectly from "Spoon", the closing track on Before These Crowded Streets ("And as I walk, there are voices behind me/Singing, sinners sin, come now and play"). Adding an extra dash of coolness to this track are some low, spoken vocals from violinist Boyd Tinsley. Yet, when the song comes to its sudden end, I'm left wondering: What happened to his violin?
When the World Ends is a track that I think should be taken back for a little lyrical refining. It has a slightly jauntier feel to it - sort of like a grittier version of their hit song "Crush". The lyrics are classic Dave, rambling on about the end of the world, but he's speaking to someone we assume is his lover, telling her all about how he's gonna live it up and basically have a lot of sex with her. Though he interjects some cool lines such as "I'm gonna take you to the top of the mountain that's no longer there", it's mostly him bragging about how sexy he thinks he is. If you thought "Crash into Me" was childish, as I did, you'll think the same thing here. What's funny is that this song would have fit perfectly into a movie such as Armageddon. Guess they wrote it a few years too late. Also, its position as track two hurts the flow of the album a bit, much like "Simple Kind of Life" did on No Doubt's last album, and the sudden ending (in the middle of a word!) seems a bit hokey.
The Space Between, reportedly the group's next single, starts off with some deep guitar tones from Dave that remind me of "Cry Freedom" (one of the plainer tracks on Crash). The song builds into something really beautiful, again addressing a lover, but with a bit more tact and wisdom this time. The song is basically a plea for her to work together with him and stop fighting - he is willing to give up being right or wrong and just meet her in the middle. The clever alliteration and wordplay ("These fickle fuddled words confuse me") and dreamy music work together to make quite a compelling ballad that thankfully doesn't resort to the cliches of most pop/rock love songs these. I detect the addition of keyboards to the band's repertoire in this song, but I still hear no violin. Am I just missing it? Is it just buried farther back in the mix? Once again, if it was any other band, I'd consider this the perfect song, but they're not using all their members to full potential here.
Dreams of Our Fathers kicks things back into high gear with a light but steady ticking beat from Carter Beauford, and some slightly jangly guitar playing from Dave, providing a great backdrop for his mile-a-minute lyrics (think back to the bridge of "Ants Marching" and you'll get the idea). Throughout the song, it feels like Dave is running from something - perhaps tradition - and the music suits that mood perfectly. My one complaint is that the song doesn't break out into full instrumental intensity during the chorus, which really weakens it. The whole thing just seems to run along without reaching a climax, until it finally fades out into a dreamy synthesized swirl.
So Right starts off in a manner that is just so... right. A little bit of electric riffage from Dave, a couple notes from saxophonist Leroi Moore, and then silence. Then the same thing again. Then the song gets going, establishing itself as a playful but fairly standard upbeat DMB love song (like "So Much to Say" from Crash, but more subdued). Or perhaps it is a reminiscent sort of song dedicated to a group of old friends, asking that they "stay up and make some memories". In any case, Leroi adds the right amount of class to the song, and Carter provides a steady beat - nice, but not as cool as what he's capable of doing.
If I Had It All is another ballad-style song, building off of the slightly gritty style used in "The Space Between", but maintaining a less full sound. Here Dave ponders an age-old question: "If I had all the knowledge and money and power and everything else I wanted, would I be happy?" Of course, he doesn't hit you over the head with that, but you get the general impression that this song was inspired by a bit of world-weary wisdom brought on by the life of a successful rock star. This track seems to be a process of turning over some soul-searching questions in a way that relates universally despite the religious beliefs of the listener. I've seen some noted religious themes in the DMB's material (dating back as far as "The Christmas Song"), though the reverent mood is offset by Dave's need to interject one profanity: "If I had it all/I'd f--- it all up." Good thought, and definitely true, but Dave, did you have to use that word?
What You Are has a very strange beginning for the normally acoustic-oriented band - some spacey, bubbly keyboards and light programming, combined with some distant wailing from Dave. This builds into a dramatic, kinetic, and haunting song in which Dave addresses an audience that hangs on every word he says (and believe me, they do -"Davespeak" is becoming its own language, much to the chagrin of Dave himself). If ever Dave wanted to make the statement that he was just a man and did not want to be idolized, then here it is, summed up in a great song. Unlike some other bands, he doesn't trash his fans in this song, but simply encourages them to listen to and think for themselves when needing guidance in life. There is a bit of an urgency to this song, especially in the line "Afraid if we dance we might die", which really reminds me of "Pig" from BTCS. A great message, and Dave gets it across without being trite.
Angel takes on the persona of a jilted lover once again (actually, a rather obsessive one, if you ask me). It's a melancholy ballad that builds on a wonderfully bluesy guitar riff and some ample sax playing, questioning this old flame and asking her why he still hasn't gotten over her. It sounds a bit clingy, but then, I guess one has to sort out feelings like this after a bad breakup (and Dave seems like he doesn't want to stop writing songs about former lovers even though he got married last summer). Not my favorite song on the album, but still very enjoyable.
Fool to Think kicks the album back into an upbeat (albeit confusing) rhythmic structure. Here, Dave seems to give that lover one last look and realize what an idiot he's been for hanging on to something that wasn't meant to last. The song seems to indicate that Dave is happy with his resolution to let go of this past lover and move on (an ironic lyric for him to write, given that he's dated the same woman for the last nine years, and finally married her). The way Carter hammers out the rhythm (and the rest of the band follows) is a bit hard to follow, which is brilliant after a few listens, but downright disorienting at first (though not as insane as the many rhythm changes in "Rapunzel", if that helps any). Oh, yes, and we finally get to hear a little more of Boyd on this track, though he doesn't exactly break free from the tight production shackles on this one.
Sleep to Dream Her takes on a steadier rhythm (6/8, which Carter is clever enough to beat out differently during the verse than he does during the chorus), and seems to depict a struggle with forgiving a lost love (another theme that occurs repeatedly on BTCS). At times, the ideas of stealing into her dreams and wanting to hate her remind me of "Halloween", which was quite a disturbing song, but thankfully, there are no growls and tactlessly blurted f-words to be found here - just a lovely, sad, jazzy song that will definitely remain stuck in your head. I definitely hear Boyd in this one, holding the right notes on his violin to keep the chord structure solid, but he doesn't seem to do a whole lot more. I found myself just itching for a sweet solo like the one he pulled off in the middle of Crush. Perhaps when the next live album comes out...
Mother Father is quite a surprise at this point, after the fairly standard pop/rock/blues/jazz blend that the guys have concocted so far - it's a brilliantly composed, fast-paced, Latin-influenced track with some soaring electric guitar playing by none other than Carlos Santana. (Yes, it's way better than the bland song Dave contributed to Santana's album.) Again, we have the upbeat, urgent feel of "Dreams of Our Fathers" (must be a father thing) and the quick, slippery vocals, but this time the rhythm cleverly shifts between a standard 4/4 and a soaring 6/8 near the middle of the song, all without interrupting the flow one bit. The lyrics fit with the desperate feel of the song, as a young son questions his parents, asking why people are cruel to each other, and why they are destroying the Earth - it's much like the sort of political protest song that U2 would write (but given a musical facelift). It wouldn't surprise me to see this song get adopted by some environmental organization, especially since the style and a recognizble talent like Carlos Santana would give it cross-cultural appeal. Let's just pray that if they do, they don't overhype the song. That would kill its intrigue and its status as one of the hidden surprises on this album. Can't wait to hear how they pull this one off live!
Everyday brings the album to a gentle but playful close with some soulful acapella singing, adding in some light, jazzy percussion and an acoustic guitar, which reminds me of some of the band's older work, such as "Jimi Thing", and "Pay for What You Get". Hardcore fans will recognize the "Pick me up, love" refrain from an outro that the band has used recently to finish off "#41" in concert. I don't know why, but this song reminds me of African slaves working on a plantation or something, singing to pass the time and chase their sorrows away - it has that sort of working-class feel to it. I like the scat singing and layered vocals toward the end, but the reptitive "All you need is/All you want is love" refrain seems a bit trite compared to the lyrics I know Dave is capable of writing. It comes dangerously close to being a preachy hippie sermon, or an overly simplified lovey-dovey song like "#36" (which I really can't stand, and I'm glad it only shows up on their live albums). Once again, we have a song that ends abruptly, and for the final track on an album, it just doesn't feel right (of course, that statement is quite biased, given the track order that I was used to).
Having a different producer (Glen Ballard, noted for past work with Alanis Morissette) definitely influenced the band's sound toward something more radio-ready and less open-ended. Surprisingly, every track on this album is over in less than five minutes (as opposed to BTCS, where every song ran past five minutes if you didn't count the intro), which creates a bit of a confining structure for the band. As another reviewer has mentioned, they'd be better off returning to their old producer, Steve Lillywhite, who did a great job with them on at least three albums. (The band recorded a number of tracks for this album before Dave deemed the whole thing to be too dark and depressing and suddenly scrapped the whole thing and switch producers. Many fans have heard these songs from the lost "Lillywhite Sessions" live, and Dave has said he doesn't plan to trash them; they just need more work. So I'm willing to bet that hardcore fans can be on the lookout for an album of B-sides or something before too long.)
There is still a lot to be enjoyed on this album, and here's what I would recommend to all DMB fans - listen more than once before you shelve this one. If your favorite DMB album was Crash or Under the Table and Dreaming, you'll probably be okay with this one - just understand that it has less folk influence. If you prefer the more drawn-out adventures of Before These Crowded Streets or the live albums, then you may just have to wait for another live album. Whoever you are, if you're expecting searing solos from Leroi, consistently intricate and fascinating drumming from Carter, or much of anything from Boyd, you might be a little disappointed. My view remains the same, though: Even a mediocre album by the Dave Matthews Band beats a good album by many of the other rock bands out there. And this ain't a mediocre album.
Final Author's Note: As I mentioned, the initial track order that was given to me seems to make this album flow a lot better. For fun, if you own the album or have the mp3's, try playing them in this order: So Right I Did It When the World Ends The Space Between Sleep to Dream Her What You Are Angel Dreams of Our Fathers Everyday Mother Father If I Had It All Fool to Think
Maybe I'm a fool to think this, but this order just sounds so... right.
TRACK REVIEW SUMMARY Excellent: The Space Between, I Did It, Mother Father Good: Dreams of Our Fathers, So Right, If I Had It All, What You Are, Angel, Sleep to Dream Her Decent: Fool to Think, Everyday Weak: When the World Ends Skippable: NONE
Band Members: Dave Matthews: Lead vocals, acoustic & electric guitar Boyd Tinsley: Violin, vocals Leroi Moore: Saxophone Stefan Lessard: Bass Carter Beauford: Drums
Dave Matthews Band s fourth studio album, Everyday, was recorded in Los Angeles and features 12 completely new songs from the band including the first...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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