I bought this album a few months ago after hearing lots of good things about Dave Matthews' Band and, whilst after the first few listens I was not particularly drawn in, I came back to it in recent weeks and haven't been able to turn it off.
01) So Much To Say (04:06)
A good opener, not a particular standout but a strong song none the less. 7.5/10
02) Two Step (06:27)
My favourite song on the album, a brilliant, atmouspheric intro leads into an up-beat yet laid back verse with a nice saxophone based bridge. The chorus is not quite up to the standard of the rest, though it is certainly not bad. 10/10
03) Crash Into Me (05:16)
A slower track with some nice delicate snare work from Carter to give a very relaing sound. It picks up a bit at the end leading to a nice climax. 6/10
04) Too Much (04:21)
Another up-beat party song, with some tasty instrumental work to compliment the vocals. Not a standout song but well worth a listen. Some of the lyrics seem very similar to those of Rickets by Deftones :s ;). 7/10
05) #41 (06:40)
Another excellent track with some phenominal playing from Carter Beauford (drums) it begins with some emotional, fairly slow and laid-back sections before going into an excellent jam that has the band doing what they do best. 9.5/10
06) Say Goodbye (06:10)
This track begins with an insane bit of drumming/percussion accompanied by a pipe or flute or something before going into smooth groove with Dave's tasteful lyrics and voice over the top. Another good but not outstanding track. 7/10
07) Drive In Drive Out (05:54)
Another party piece similar to Too Much, this time in 6/8 with some bits in 4/4 and 5/8 I think making a bit more interesting. Good use of dynamics with a nice contrast between the verse and chorus and a great ending. 7/10
08) Let You Down (04:07)
Another slow, romantic track with some tender lyrics about Dave's usual subject matter, girls. Some interesting whistle solo sections liven up this otherwise peaceful track. 6/10
09) Lie In Our Graves (05:42)
One of my favourite songs on the album, purely because of the jam from about 2:35 to the end. The song begins with just acoustic guitar and Dave's vocals before Carter launches in with his usual smooth snare work with the bass player. There is some n9ce viola work bridging the chorus and second verse. At 2:35 the jam begins building up gradually on a basic patern, it is fairly simple with everyone playing together and no solos but incrediably effective. The jam is played over the sound of the band kicking back and playing table tennis I think. One final chorus then finishes the song. 9/10 (only because of the jam)
10) Cry Freedom (05:53)
One of the slowest track on the album, it begins with just acoustic guitar and vocals before bass and drums enter. The chorus is very relaxing and fun to sing along to. Though the song as a whole can get a bit annoying as you are just waiting for it to end so we can get on with... 5/10
11) Tripping Billies (05:00)
The final party piece of the album begins with an excellent into similar to the end of Drive In Drive Out followed by a danceable verse and chorus and a very countryish chorus. The song ends as it began with the stabbing which Carter makes the most of. 10/10
12) Proudest Monkey (09:10)
The slowest track on the album and also my least favourite. It does pick up towards the end, but it just takes too long to get there to be worth listening to I find and it's not as if I'm impatient, being a prog rock fan I have learnt to be very patient with music. I usually end the album with Tripping Billies. 4/10
All in all, I really like this album as the best songs are extremely good and the majority of the rest of the songs are very listenable. The sound quality is great and the music is very well mixed, I also really like the running order as the slower and more up-beat songs are well mixed up. I have found that this is a particularly good album for long car journies.
Standout Tracks;
Two Step
#41
Lie In Our Graves
Tripping Billies
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
