Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King

I know not all of you are on facebook, so I thought I would post the link here as well. You can go HERE and listen to the new Dave Matthews Band album. You can't download it, but you can listen to it as many times as you like.

I have listened to it all the way through a couple of times and I must say I am quite impressed. I was a little dissapointed with their last studio release as I felt it was very 'pop-y'. I didn't like the direction they had gone with their sound as much on that record. This album returns to much more of their blues, jazz and rock roots. It has a bit heavier feel than some of their other albums. The sound is thicker.. it reminds me more of the song 'Don't Drink the Water' off the album Before These Crowded Streets.

There are some tracks with killer horns. I was wondering how they would handle the passing of LeRoi and how that would factor into the amount of focus they have on brass sounds in their music. It was always a big part of their sound and I think it would have changed them too much had they departed from it entirely.

Overall, I am extremely impressed. The sound is tight, solid and BIG. The songs have great energy to them for studio tracks. I can only imagine how these are going to translate into amazing jams when played live.

To commemorate the occasion, here are a couple of my favorite live performances from DMB. There are countless incredible live vids out there, so it was hard to choose.