Dave Matthews Band Everyday CD

Dave Matthews Band: Dave Matthews (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, baritone guitar); Leroi Moore (flute, contra bass clarinet, alto & tenor saxophone, background vocals); Boyd Tinsley (violin, background vocals); Stefan Lessard (electric bass); Carter Beauford (vibraphone, drums, bongos, congas, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Vusi Mahlasela (vocals); Carlos Santana (electric guitar); Glen Ballard (keyboards, programming).
Recorded at Conway Studios, Hollywood, California.
"The Space Between" was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
Personnel: Dave Matthews (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, baritone guitar); Boyd Tinsley (violin, background vocals); LeRoi Moore (flute, contrabass clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, background vocals); Carter Beauford (vibraphone, drums, congas, bongos, background vocals); Stefan Lessard (electric bass).
Recording information: Conway Studios, Hollywood, CA.
The fourth proper studio album by the Dave Matthews Band had a rough birth, as the group jettisoned a set of sessions recorded with their longtime producer Steve Lillywhite, starting afresh with Glen Ballard, the mastermind behind Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill. Ballard has a tremendous influence on the resulting record, collaborating with Matthews on every track and changing the direction of their sound. To a certain extent, the change is welcome, since Before These Crowded Streets suggested that the group was running out of steam, but the sudden shift toward measured maturation and slickness is jarring all the same, since it emphasizes Matthews' melodies and leadership over the group interplay that is the group's calling card. It's not that the music is now simplistic, since there are still some tricky rhythms and shifts in tone, but the group doesn't have much room to stretch in Ballard's precise arrangements. In a sense, they sort of benefit from this increased focus, since the group's instrumental excursions can be a little flabby, but it still robs them of much of their character. Also, Everyday sounds like it was the product of a difficult birth, and wouldn't have gelled if Ballard hadn't been involved, pushing Matthews toward completion. It does result in a record that's more cohesive than its predecessor, but it's far less engagingly loose-limbed than DMB at its peak. Perhaps that's just a byproduct of maturation, but Everyday feels like forced maturation, a record that suppresses the group's best attributes in favor of a moderate, self-consciously classy stab at adult pop. That it works pretty well at that level is a testament to Ballard's skills, but it feels more like a weirdly abortive solo project by Matthews than a full-fledged DMB effort. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The fourth proper studio album by the Dave Matthews Band had a rough birth, as the group jettisoned a set of sessions recorded with their longtime producer Steve Lillywhite, starting afresh with Glen Ballard, the mastermind behind Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill. Ballard has a tremendous influence on the resulting record, collaborating with Matthews on every track and changing the direction of their sound. The change emphasizes Matthews' melodies and leadership over the group interplay that is their calling card. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The hugely successful EVERYDAY is a testament to the Dave Matthews Band's persistence and self-awareness in sticking with a sound and style of music that has changed little since its inception. With the exception of certain production flourishes and a more direct approach in the songs' presentation, it's an album that the band could have made anytime in the past decade, which is of course the secret of the band's success--it consistently delivers exactly what's required.
And some of what's required this time round is an infectious, sexy shuffle in the form of "When the World Ends," which is about hot sex aRolling Stone (3/15/01, pp.77-8) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...All blinding chrome and fat swagger, superbuffed throwbacks to 1980s arena-rock convention....There is just enough sour questioning and irritation in Matthew's delivery to keep the radio candy from melting..."