That Dave Matthews is still relatively unknown round these parts is not something you feel he’s particularly worried about, given the fact that his band have sold in the region of 25m albums stateside, where they enjoy a revered status amongst more sensitive college rock types.
Don’t hold this against him though, because there’s a lot more to Matthews than the usual middle of the road Hootie-type American tosh, as his first proper solo album illustrates. It’s a ‘personal’ album, featuring often downbeat, occasionally uplifting and always impressively-written songs.
The sound is also barer, shorn of the excellent musicians that normally back Matthews, but at times this allows the songs the space they need to breathe. The beautiful title track highlights this and showcases his impressive voice, which can at times sound scarily like Chris Martin (‘Stay Or Leave’).
How you feel about this album might depend on your disposition towards singer-songwriters in general, and while there are some exquisitely lovely moments (‘Baby’) there is also the odd bit of over-epic bluster, not least ‘Gravedigger’, with its sombre tones and refrain of “When you dig my grave/Make it shallow so I can feel the rain”.
Overall though, there’s no denying that this is a clever songwriter deserving of respect. This album probably isn’t going to do anything for his profile over here, but it’s nonetheless a good starting point for those seeking to find out more.