Review: Dave Matthews Band, Under the Table Dreaming (RCA)

- Dan Enright

Dave Matthews' second album - the first on major, RCA - is a successful melding of folk, jazz, pop, and rock genres into one of the most sophisticated releases to sit on my CD player in a long time. This band displays the arranging and performing skills that only hundreds of shows and countless hours of cooperative work can produce.

Assisted by veteran producer Steve Lillywhite, the quintet (Carter Beauford - drums/percussion/vocals, Stefan Lessard - bass, David Matthews - acoustic guitar, Leroi Moore - alto/soprano/tenor sax/flute/vocals, and Boyd Tinsley - acoustic violin/vocals) grooves and flows through this collection of enigmatic lyrics and infectious melodies. The album has a sound and feel I thought had been lost with '70s acts Mark Almond and Jesse Collins, except for the pop/radio tune "What Would You Say." This song seems out of place, and is not a reliable indicator of the albums' depth.

It's the interplay between Moore's sax and Tinsley's violin that is the highlight of these songs. The two compliment each other in cut after cut as they trade lead lines that subtly blend into duets, then slowly separate. All the while, the songs are driven by Carter's percussive sensibility.

When you layer Dave's lyrics on these intricate arrangements, you have an album that is greater than its parts. Insights, like the lament of "Typical Situation", question "Why are you different/Why are you that way/If you don't step in line/We'll lock you away/It's a typical situation/In these typical times/We can't do a thing about it", or the confusion of "Dancing Nancies", "Requesting some enlightenment/Could I have been anyone other than me?"

Then there's the playful replies to the questions posed by "What Would You Say", "Don't drop the Big One.../If you were a monkey on a string?/ Don't cut my lifeline.../If you were a puppy on a string/Don't bite the mailman... or these lines from "Warehouse", Hey reckless mind/Don't throw away your playful beginnings/You and I will fumble around in the touches/And be sure to/Leave the lights on/So we can see the black cat changing colors." I wonder what he meant by that.

Excellent songwriting and playing by these five gentlemen have combined to produce an outstanding album. I recommend it.