Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band lost its founding member and saxophonist, LeRoi Moore in August last year, after the band had started work on what was to become Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, their seventh studio album. But while Moore’s death came much before the final tracks were put in place, his presence is as strong as ever on this album. The remaining bandmembers’ tributes are hard to escape, starting from the album name (“GrooGrux” is a word that drummer Carter Beauford and Moore regularly used to describe the wild rhythms and sounds they came up with during jams), to the intricate artwork hand-drawn by singer/guitarist Dave Matthews (yes, that Moore’s face right there on the album front).

Sonically, Big Whiskey is very different from what the band has done in the past, and yet it has the unmistakable DMB sound to it. This is a much heavier album, courtesy the electric guitar riffs. Guitarist Tim Reynolds returns for the first time since 1998’s Before These Crowded Streets and Matthews himself straps on the electric. The consequences are heard best on ”˜Shake Me Like a Monkey,’ a glorious yet strangely uncharacteristic love song that leaves you breathless. The joyful romp continues right through tracks like ”˜Why I Am’ (perhaps the most direct remembrance of Moore on this album ”“ “Still here dancing with the GrooGrux King”) and ”˜Alligator Pie’ (Matthews’ way of acceding to his daughter Stella’s wish ”“ “Stella said, daddy when you gonna put me in a song?”). If there is sadness on Big Whiskey, it’s not readily evident. But then, on ”˜Funny the Way It Is,’ Matthews sings, “Funny the way it is/Not right or wrong/Somebody’s heart is broken/And it becomes your favourite song.” This is an outstanding album by any standards (not just DMB’s) ”“ more so because of the circumstances leading to the release.