Ever since the meltdown that ensued in the aftermath of the abandoned Lillywhite Sessions the Dave Matthews Band has managed to avoid the fade into total irrelevance suffered by many of their 90's pop counterparts. Due in part to their ongoing enthusiasm for live performance and their ability to give birth to new songs and allow them grow over the course of a tour. My biggest gripe in recent years, however, is seeing them come up with some genuinely interesting tunes (Loving Wings, Sugar Will, Good, Good Time) that seem to fade quickly into the memories of all but the hardcore fans, rarely seeing the light of a recording studio. Somewhere from tour's end to the studio the band feels inclined only to start fresh and give themselves another motivation for touring... As opposed to collecting and sorting out their newly budding works. It started with Everyday and since then Dave seems to have been looking for a way to keep the band relevant and interesting for not only himself but for his band mates. Trying new producers, new sounds, trying to give something new to the fans. Trying to balance a whole plethora of expectations and keep a good thing going without worrying about creating a masterpiece.
And so, reconciling the need for a fresh approach started to become the band's mantra. A preoccupation that resulted in mediocre albums, compounded by 2005's paper thin Stand Up. An album that sounds like a band trying to have fun, but who have become too lazy to write songs that are actually fun.
Fast forward to 2009 after the unfortunate death of saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Death is always some sort of a catalyst for art but I find conjecturing about it's relevance as a means to success distasteful. It is a powerful agent of change, needless to say, and represents a major signpost and moment of reflection for any long-lived group. And, I believe, what happened next would either signify the group's death or it's rebirth, rarely ever is there an in-between.
Because I used to consider myself a fan I felt at least a little compelled to check out their next project and give it a fair yea or nay. Even with the jaded attitude that comes from two or three albums worth of downhill disappointment (and its effect on my first listening) I have to admit it wasn't difficult at all to allow myself to be absorbed by the mood of this album. Where with Stand Up and Busted Stuff I was either grasping desperately for something to love or trying to remember why a song was good. With Big Whiskey I'm able (for the first time in a long time) to sit and enjoy the flow of the overall work. You can tell that the band is finally relaxed and making natural decisions in their songwriting.
Dave says this is their best album. Clearly that isn't the case. Before These Crowded Streets is untouchable, a once-in-a-lifetime sort of album that captures the entire group at their pinnacle. That's not to take away from what they've done here though. Big Whiskey is a return, of sorts, to renewed interest...at the very least. Maybe not in the same ballpark as the original three but certainly a step up from the bottom of the barrel they've been scraping the last few studio outings. Some of the issues that I believe keep this material short of excellence are; the lazily authored lyrical content (nothing new as far as Dave is concerned but it's probably better if he just keeps mumbling like he used to), their inclination toward attention deficient pop stylings that often forgo the subtle in favor of the "jam". And finally, the "official" exclusion of Boyd Tinsley who hasn't been relevant to a Dave Matthews Band album since 2000 and all but disappears here, leaving us with the Dave Matthews Trio. It's not the same Band anymore and it's certainly not the same understated Tim Reynolds either. No longer can we as fans fantasize about reclaiming the glory days of the "old sound" because it's gone. What they have found, fortunately, is a new magic that they can call their own. One that might be enough to light their creative fires for the forseeable future.
Dave Matthews Band Big Whiskey & Groo Grux King: 7.875/10
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