|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
BUY THE CD
|
| | | |
When my sister-in-law, Kristin, asked if I wanted to write some music reviews, it took a while to decide on which album to start with. I figured since she asked me to write this, I should probably start with a CD that I got from her. After a road trip down to visit Kristin and my brother, Paul, this summer, I needed some new music for my long journey back. So I dug through a box of their CDs and found Before These Crowded Streets by the Dave Matthews Band. I’d never heard much of them, other than their singles, but figured I’d give them a try.
When I first popped this into the player, I heard the greatest teaser of a tune, “Pantala Naga Pampa.” The song is all of 42 seconds long, yet it’s one of my favourites. It puts me in a nice peaceful state and brings a smile to my face every time I listen, with it’s mellow acoustic guitars, violin, and short uplifting message—all of which work great to help get through a long day. It’s the perfect start to this album; it sets the mood for what’s to come and definitely has its purpose.
Next up: “Rapunzel.” This song really shows off DMB’s talent and ‘grooveability.’ It has such solid, bluesy guitar licks and stellar bass/drum work the whole way through that you can’t help but move your head to it.
I should mention the transitions from song to song. Every tune on this album either connects to the next or has a short jam at the end of the track that does. It really makes the CD a musical experience when you listen from start to finish without any of that ‘random play’ jazz…
The mix of sounds is something interesting to listen for too; there isn’t really one instrument that overpowers any others. But if you concentrate on one, you realize that no one is holding back at any time. It’s basically a band of soloists, yet it somehow works.
There are several other great tunes such as the southern African/American choir-style, “Stay (Wasting Time),” the main single, “Don’t Drink the Water,” and the enchanting “The Dreaming Tree.” This CD has an ability to throw you into several different moods, which is something brand new to me, coming from a musical past of strictly punk rock.
I guess here’s where I should write something like “if you like bands such as…” But I don’t think that really matters for this album. As long as you enjoy listening to music, I’m thinking you’ll find enjoyment in at least a few of these tracks. Every song on this album has feeling and emotion to it and I would recommend checking out the whole disc for the musical experience of it.
This is some great road trippin’ material!
|
|
|
|
