“Everyday” is a highly electric and spontaneous addition to the successful and lengthy discography of the Dave Matthews Band.
Dave Matthews has been around and then some. His group isn’t some record company concoction featuring a wardrobe of leather pants and silk shirts. Instead, this magnificent ensemble has risen in the public eye while making instantly platinum albums all the while.
While folks have been cocking their heads wondering who these guys are, college students and ex-hippies have flocked to the concerts and bought the albums in droves. The bootleg and rare tracks demanded from Dave Matthews’ fans rival that of the Grateful Dead. This demand has also found a home on Napster, where zealous fans can exchange everything from arena concert footage to songs from missed shows. Catering to the fans, the band actually released the first single from “Everyday” on Napster before the album was available in stores.
Rising from college campus radio stations to recently debuting on the ultra-trendy TRL on MTV, the Dave Matthews Band is finally being recognized for its innovative sound. It has also moved up the ranks to headlining shows that feature such icons as Neil Young and Crazy Horse as openers.
It’s impossible to categorize the Dave Matthews Band other than to say its sound is intricate.
Moving away from the smooth, mellow jam sessions that marked their two prior RCA releases, “Crash” and “Before These Crowded Streets,” “Everyday” is much more chaotic. But, there is method to their chaos.
The poetic lyrics of “When the World Ends” fits nicely with the next track, “The Space Between,” with its last line dovetailing into “You cannot quit me so quickly.”
Bold statements are not a usual Dave Matthews trait, but may have been inspired by mega-producer Glen Ballard (noted for bringing out the emotion on such releases as Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill”).
Other gems on the album inlude the latest single “I Did It.” A funky beat that brings to mind the toe-tapping appeal of the “Under the Table and Dreaming” hit, “Ants Marching.”
Both “The Space Between” and “Sleep to Dream Her” exude a sensuality that is formulaic for Matthews. It is a popular and pleasing formula that is mildly sexy (not raunchy), yet completely appealing and enticing.
What is also unusual about this LP is that it was recorded in Los Angeles instead of the Charlotte, N.C., studio that has been the kitchen for most of Matthews’ releases.
Surprisingly, after nine albums (two of which being extremely successful live releases), Dave Matthews remains fresh in his approach to each new project.
The window for repetition is wide open, but the band keeps each album from becoming a cookie cut from the same mold.
Each new Dave Matthews Band release is a fresh treat to be savored.