4/5
Back To Earth.
Dave Matthews and his band of brothers are back. One of America and the worlds best groups in the studio and on the stage are back in concert, jamming together on a new album. The family unit has been through tough times as of late, tragedy came before their last, great album 'Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King' and they recently took some time off on the road, but it wasn't long before one of the United States most fondly familiar and well traveled bands would return home. With 'Away From The World' Dave Matthews Band come back, going back to the drawing board, back to the basics and back to the 'Lillywhite Sessions' as 'Before These Crowded Streets' producer Steve Lillywhite help the band find that old sound for their new record that is classic DMB.
So classic DMB that this album has shot straight to the top of the charts thanks to the reawakening of the groups revered legacy on singles like the magnificent 'Mercy' and the beautiful, singled-out 'If Only' which was released the same day as the album. The album comes together with the big trumpet into of 'Broken Things' which shows the live band set apart from the rest are back where they belong with a track tailored for the stadium sound. This leads to the happy upbeat, very, very good 'Belly, Belly Nice' which is classic contagious Dave energetic enthusiasm.
'Away From The World' however for the most part is a gentle acoustic record that the likes of Tim Reynolds would be proud of. This slow burner is not a somber affair however, it's 'Sweet' like the tracks of the same name and the Winter warmer 'Snow Outside' made ready for the coming fall as dave Springsteen's "You are like a secret garden/as I shuffle through this broken town/Think of you and you are all around me/like the sky when the sun's going down/I want to tell the whole wide world/I see how love can light your soul" this Autumn. Dave gives credence to the clearwater tranquil side of his bands revival and modern rock hasn't sounded this atmospheric and alive for the dead time of years. The guitar strings are getting plucked with a passion Rodrigo Y Gabriela would be proud of on 'Gaucho' .
The Dave Matthews Band make even more of a mark on 'The Riff' as Dave sings to the title harmonizing "Sitting in a box / away from the world out there," asking "Please don't ever leave me alone in here" before coming off the shelf with a great concept pleading "take me out/shake off the dust/shake off the fear". It's classic songwriting from Matthews as he collects his talents together. 'Belly Full' is another great which comes from the bowels of traditional DMB. This band have stomached the hands of time and show they can still go deep inside for songs that sound like they're a new band.
A new band sitting pretty on top of the charts with songs that take them higher like the upbeat 'Rooftop' and the ten minute shy epic 'Drunken Soldier' which could be taken with a movie soundtrack with all it's swaying and epic instrumentation. The one man named band with all the instruments are back after their time away and the world is glad to see them. There are no records quite like DMB ones and with this album they craft another classic that will go down instantly with a form fondness in the legacy of the groups memory lane. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
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