With 'Busted,' DMB returns
to form
By Jason C. Consolacion
The Daily Cougar
Whew.
It's safe to say that fans of Dave Matthews
Band can breathe a sigh of relief at the release of the group's fifth RCA
Records studio release
Busted Stuff. After the hiccup that was
2001 release Everyday, DMB returns with an album that sounds more DMB.
Back are the long jams, the extended solos
of saxophonist Leroi Moore and fiddler Boyd Tinsley and the crying melodies
of lead singer Dave
Matthews. Drummer Carter Beauford and
bassist Stefan Lessard remain in top form. And basically, Busted Stuff
is — thankfully — a Dave
Matthews Band record.
Band members have shared the sentiment
that last year's Everyday was Matthews' and producer Glen Ballard's album.
With writing credits
going solely to Matthews and Ballard and
with tracks that sounded more like pop tunes than the usual DMB jam session,
it is clear that Everyday
did not belong to everyone in the quintet.
That said, Busted Stuff is a reunion of
some sorts. What is ironic, is the evident change in mood with each lyrical
composition. Many of these
songs are products of the infamous "Lillywhite
Sessions," a collection of tunes recorded by the band with producer Steve
Lillywhite before the
release of Everyday, but deemed "too dark"
for the band's follow-up to 1998 album Before These Crowded Streets.
Fans shot down the material on Everyday,
making the "Lillywhite Sessions" bootleg treasures. But for DMB fans that
did not have access to
those bootlegs, most of the songs on Busted
Stuff are new.
While the music returns to DMB's protocol,
Matthews' lyrics are rather melancholy, portraying images of depression
and isolation — something
opposite to his customary lyrics of laid-back
optimism. Themes of alcohol mixed with dark biblical references make for
a serious tone that
clashes with DMB's party time attitude.
Busted Stuff includes 11 tracks, led by
the album's first single, "Where Are You Going," which is unfortunately
(or fortunately, depending on how
you look at it) the worst track on the
album. It opens with the title track and heads right into the aggressive
"Grey Street" — a song that speaks of
confusion and angst, immediately setting
the mood for the album.
"Captain" is a nice track, showing off
the band's knack for showcasing its knowledge of jazz and blues — something
very "Police" of DMB to do.
Matthews shows his Willie Nelson influence
with the intro to "Grace Is Gone," a beautiful track reminiscent of such
DMB classics as "Crash" and
"Christmas Song." And, something this
reviewer wishes the band would do more of, "Kit Kat Jam" features the quintet
in its natural habitat —
jamming an instrumental, not only showing
the band's talents, but its diverse knowledge of musical styles.
"Digging A Ditch" is a sweet tune that
sounds a lot like the Remember Two Things ballad "I'll Back You Up." Picture
Matthews sitting on a
barstool with his axe, serenading a smoky
bar full of wanderers and you get the cool mood of this song.
Finally, the album ends with the merger
of "Big Eyed Fish" and an original that finally rivals the band's signature
performances of Bob Dylan's "All
Along The Watchtower." The song is called
"Bartender," an eight-minute, 33-second masterpiece that is composed in
emblematic DMB form. In
a word, it is amazing.
Produced by Stephen Harris (U2, Santana),
Busted Stuff is not as ground-breaking as Under The Table And Dreaming
('94), not as classic as
Crash ('96), and not as poignant as Before
These Crowded Streets. But this stuff is certainly not "busted," by any
"everyday" means. No Ballard?
No problem.
