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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointment over a great Album? You bet..., March 1, 2001
DMB's latest release, "Everyday", is an excellent album. Fans of any other band would be thrilled at such a powerful, upbeat product. Fans of Dave Matthews Band however have come to expect something else from DMBs CDs. Dave Matthews Band has never been about following the "rules" of commercial success and confining songs to more radio-friendly 4 minute creations; nor have they ever shyed away from extensive break down jams that lead into the next track (making each album feel like one continuous effort). Dave Matthews Band has always stayed "true to the music, commericial rules be damned." It is these and other qualities that have attracted so many fans of all types. Sadly, Everyday departs from these basic qualities. Glen Ballard, producer of Everday, recently was quoted on PBS's Charlie Rose Show as saying about fans, "They don't want extensive jams on an album...That's what a concert is for." (One wonders if Ballard has ever heard of such bands as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, to name a few...) Ballard therefore packages all songs on Everyday to under four minutes, save one which is slighty under five. DMB fans might find it frustrating that just when the band begins to jam, the music fades out in the name of radio-friendly songs. Musically "Everyday" is complex and exciting, just as one would expect from Dave Matthews Band. Fans however will be disappointed to find that violinist Boyd Tinsley and saxophonist LeRoi Moore are all but nonexistent on the album, instead replaced by Ballard on a retro-80's-style keyboard for accompanyment. In total, to their credit DMB is clearly expanding their musical borders in this album, providing an enjoyable (albeit different) musical experience. Everyday is definetly worth buying and all fans should anticipate amazing concert versions of each song. That said, the strength of the songs despite Ballards best efforts to de-Dave-Matthewsize them leaves one wondering of the album that could have been had long-time DMB producer Steve Lilywhite (and his pro-music/anti-commercial sentiment) had a say in the production.
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49 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
DMB's done it ... and gone too far, February 27, 2001
It's strange that Dave Matthews Band's newest studio release is titled Everyday. After all, the word "everyday" carries a sense of normality and routine. But with new producer Glen Ballard behind the board, the band's new album is not your "everyday" DMB record. Dumping longtime producer Steve Lillywhite for Ballard (best known for his biggest contribution to pop music: Alanis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill), Everyday has turned into a product belonging only to Matthews and Ballard. After the the two wrote 12 songs together in L.A., they invited the rest of the band to record them. In an "everyday" DMB recording session, Matthews would usually play a few licks on the guitar and the remaining four would gradually join in to create the full sound. But when bassist Stefan Lessard, violinist Boyd Tinsley, sax player Leroi Moore and drummer Carter Beauford arrived in Los Angeles, Ballard had charted out the songs on paper for each musician to follow during the recording process, thus eliminating the creative process and input that the entire quintet had produced in the band's previous three studio albums. The result is a collection of songs that fail to capture the essence of Dave Matthews Band - an essence that usually features an album of performances, not routine recording sessions. The album totally changes DMB's change of pace, evident by its 50 minute-51 second duration (compared to the previous three records that lasted well over an hour). All the songs are short, limiting band members to minimal musical expression. Also, the songs contain the influence of Ballard's rock/pop feel throughout. Gone are the fun grooves as the rhythms of Beauford (arguably the best drummer in the business) are limited to rock and pop. Gone are the constant melodic riffs that underlie a typical DMB track as bassist Lessard is reduced to following typical rock progressions. But most notably absent are the talents of Moore and Tinsley, who's saxophone and violin, respectively, are featured at a minimum on Everyday. The album's first single, "I Did It," opens the CD with a funky rock feel and a rocking guitar lick. Noticeable throughout the record is the replacement of Matthews' constant acoustic six-string companion with an electric baritone guitar introduced to him by Ballard. "When the World Ends" possesses a funky pop feel - a rather bright groove mixed with dark lyrics. The song draws striking similarities to Morrisette's (and Ballard's) "You Learn." "So Right" is another song with a rock/pop feel to it, but suffers lyrically with cliches of love. It is also one of two songs on the CD that features the talents of sax player Moore in a rare solo. "If I Had it All," on the other hand, contains much more lyrical content as the bridge features Matthews expressing his current state of emptiness in convincing fashion. "Angel" is a sweet love song that opens with a nice, but short-lived duet between Matthews and Moore. "Fool To Think" is an interesting track. The song's main lick sounds a lot like the Police's "Message In a Bottle," again showing the influence musicians like Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers and Sting have had on DMB. The song again showcases Moore in a short sax solo. "Sleep to Dream Her" is Matthews' poetic victory on the album. It is also one of the most involved songs for the entire band, showing off the abilities of every member. The verses, however, are heavily dominated by the keyboard playing of Ballard. Nevertheless, this rock ballad is one of the best songs on Everyday. Grammy award-winning guitarist Santana is featured on the Spanish-inluenced rock song "Mother Father." Finally, the title track "Everyday" sounds a bit like "Stay" (from Before These Crowded Streets), containing a rock/pop groove and unusually spiritual and uplifting lyrics. Matthews pays a personal tribute to John Lennon and The Beatles with the lyric: "... All you need is/What you want is/All you need is love ..." Surprisingly, the band followed Ballard's lead with anxiety and optimism. All five members, especially Matthews, feel Everyday is the best album they have recorded in their decade-long history. However, it will probably be a little difficult for hard core DMB fans to embrace the band's change. Fans welcome change in a band that has been around as long as DMB, but changes that move the band forward are more desirable. With Everyday, it appears the quintet has taken a minor step back. Again, Everyday is a very strange title for this album that has left four members of this legendary band in the dark in order to make room for Ballard. A little too ironic, don't you think?
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249 of 328 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Guilty As Charged, December 26, 2000
Though it's a tad early to celebrate, DMB's latest release, Everyday is a great departure for the band. Through their transformation over the years, Matthews, Lessard, Tinsley, Moore and Beauford have gone from the happy jams of Recently (Remember 2 Things) to the brilliant musical composition of The Stone (Before these Crowded Streets) and now to the edgy riffs of the band's new single, I did It. In abonding an already recorded album of songs like Grey Street and Sweet Up & Down, Dave and the boys returned to the studio to rewrite a new album along side new producer Glenn Ballard (Aerosmith, No Doubt), and even colaborating alongside friend Carlos Santana on the latin piece, Mother Father. The final product is an awesome new sound for such a band. Putting a hold on the twangy riffs in What Would You Say and evolving into cutting edge sounds as heard in The Space Between. Have no fear though, Dave fans. Though this recent departure seems tragic in a sense, all of the elements can still be heard. Boyd's still ripping up his violin, Carter maintains his status of best drummer in the world, and Roi is still beeboppin away on his sax (without sunglasses this time). Just go with the flow on this energy-packed release by the band, and remember that they never did a single thing that did a single thing to change the ugly ways of the world, but Dave Matthews Band can still rock!
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