Dave Matthews Band

Item: Everyday
Author: Josh Hurst

Everyday

(2001)

Reviewed by Josh Hurst

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Spotify YouTube Music

Label RCA RecordsThe Rebel Base2001

jazz rock pop rock roots rock

Ah, Dave Matthews Band. They never cease to disappoint me. They have amazing potential, and they have far more raw talent than most other modern rock bands, but it seems like they can never get it right. I realize that a lot of people are probably very angry at me for saying that, so let me clear something up: I like Dave Matthews Band. I really do. I just feel like they could do better sometimes.

When I listened to the band's 1996 album Crash for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised by the unique sound of the group. They mixed acoustic guitar, saxophone, and violin in to make a fairly one-of-a-kind sound. When I inspected the lyrics insert, though, I was not quite as thrilled.

Dave can write some great lyrics. He really can. As far as Crash goes, "Two Step" and "Cry Freedom" are artistic, emotional, and perhaps even a little profound. Many of his lyrics deal with the power of love. That's a noble theme, right?

Well, yes, Dave does have honorable intentions, but I find his "love is the answer" sentiments hard to swallow. Much like the movie Titanic (perhaps you've heard of it?), Dave gets "love" and "lust" confused. Dave tells us that all he wants is love, but all he really wants is sex. I hate to say it, but I think I'd rather hear love songs than lust songs. Nice try, though, Dave.

Now that I've spent half a page talking about Crash, let's get back on topic. I'm happy to say that, on Everyday, Dave Matthews has written some much better lyrics. While he still thinks with his pants instead of his head sometimes, songs like "The Space Between" and "Angel" seem to espouse genuine love, and not just carnal desires and sexual fantasies. And what's more, his forays onto topics outside of love/lust are more successful than ever before. Dave gives us some wonderfully obscure lyrics to ponder on "Dreams of Our Fathers," and "I Did It" is one of the most fascinatingly wicked songs to come out in recent years. It finds Dave confessing to doing something illegal, confessing that he doesn't care and that he wants to do it again, and hinting that he did something noble in the name of love- perhaps it wasn't so wrong, after all. It's very open-ended, which makes it one of the more intriguing Dave Matthews compositions.

Well, I can die happy now- Dave Matthews has penned an album that is mostly full of worthwhile lyrics. But wait... I'm afraid I have some bad news. You see, when Dave ditched his annoying lyrics of old, he also ditched many of the things that set his band apart from typical pop/rock groups. On Everyday, there aren't really any good, signature-Dave Matthews Band jams. There aren't nearly as many complex chord changes and beats as we're used to hearing from the Band. Saddest of all, there really aren't too many places where you can hear the violin. A highly innovative band seems to have lost their edge. Woe is us!

The Dave Matthews Band really needs to borrow U2's playbook for a while. Those loveable popstars from Dublin have mastered the art of adapting to changing musical trends. U2 breaks up and then reforms the band every time they go into the studio, making each U2 release radically different from the last, and helping U2 to stay relevant for so many years. Dave Matthews Band seems to have tried to change with the times, but their results aren't nearly as exciting as those we get from U2. Dave Matthews and Co. forgot what their true strengths were, and sacrificed originality for radio friendliness. What a shame...

Everyday isn't a bad album by any means. It's got some interesting songs on it, and it's perhaps Dave Matthews' catchiest to date. Unfortunately, it doesn't strike me as a true work of art. Lyrically, it's some of the group's best work, but musically, it's disappointing.

Josh's Score: 3/5