2008 Woodie Awards
DMB: New vs. Old
Matthew Libassi Staff Writer
Issue date: 9/15/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment
|
Dave Matthews Band. Three words synonymous with mass popularity, especially to your typical college student, and the band's newest CD release "Stand Up," will not be a let down.
Dave and his band's newest CD, "Stand Up," recently released from RCA, boasts some new founded themes with a strong political stance. The music is typical of a Dave Matthews Band CD with a few minor deviations, but packed with its fair share of upbeat and characteristic tunes.
When compared to other Dave Matthews CDs, how does it stand up? "Well, the Dave Matthews Band is really a jam band. Their sound is usually a little less polished, a little less studio than "Stand Up." Their new album also has a pretty prominent jazz influence," said sophomore, Bridget Steckis.
As Stekis said, Dave Matthews Band is known as a jam band - a group that often deviates from their studio song and improvises on stage, which is again a more jazz style. "Stand Up" strays from this old formula, and may turn off old fans who are used to an album like the band's debut, "Under the Table and Dreaming." But all in all, that is not a major concern.
If compared with something like Matthews' solo album "Some Devil," the songs are a dramatic shift, from the melancholy to a more positive feel. For instance, the track "Louisiana Bayou" has more swing to it, offering a more energetic, "get-up-and-dance" mood, unlike the single "Gravedigger" from Dave Matthews' solo CD. This just shows that the emotional state of mind that Dave Matthews Band displays slowly progresses and changes with each CD.
As is the status quo with many bands of recent, political beliefs stand out as well in the new CD, with titles aptly named "American Baby," and "Everybody Wake Up." On one track, "American Baby Intro," there are sounds of gunshots and bombs exploding - no doubt a commentary on the events over seas.
"I'm not going to apologize for things that I say and things that I think. Maybe I would phrase things a little differently," Matthews said in a recent article on VH1.com. "But I'm not going to apologize for anything."
Dan Duvall, also a sophomore and longtime fan of Dave Matthews Band said, "It's a good CD. Some of the songs are very similar, but I understand where the band is coming from and they really seem to want to make a statement about the war and world affairs."
So what is the final verdict? The new CD has some great elements to it, and shouldn't disappoint or alienate most fans. If a fan was looking for some ultra new styles or radical change, they aren't going to find it, but for a serious Dave Matthews Band listener they can hear some variations from the days of old. So when it comes down to it, Dave Matthews Band can proudly stand up alongside with their newest album.