Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band's least accessible record is 2002's Busted Stuff, but Before These Crowded Streets comes in a close second. On the group's initial releases for RCA, Matthews made sure to write radio-friendly pop. Crowded Streets, in contrast, spotlights his group's love for jammy improv, world rhythms and jazz fusion. He even employs the Kronos Quartet on a few tracks. And though it may not have grabbed the mass audiences like Under the Table and Dreaming and Crash, the record, in many ways, is more rewarding.

With the notable exception of its 1994 breakout single, "What Would You Say," Dave
Matthews Band has always been more about sound than songs. This continues to be true on
the group's propulsive new album, Before These Crowded Streets. Teaming up again with
producer Steve Lillywhite, DMB is more successful on this outing than ever before in
translating the roiling energy of its stage show to the studio. The band also push... More >