CD Review: The Best of What's Around Vol. 1 - Dave Matthews Band

by Rick Landers

The Best of What’s Around – Vol. 1

The Best of What’s Around – Vol. 1 is a delicious menu of hit DMB tunes, many tapped by fans who voted their preferences as to what songs they wanted included in a Dave Mathews Band “best of” compilation.

Who can argue with that?

With Dave’s funky acoustic guitar licks forming the underbelly of the DMB sound, Mathews is joined by percussionist Carter Beauford’s open hand drumming and Stefan Lessard’s bass lines that keep the group’s cocky time signatures from going too far astray. Leroi Moore’s sax is as vital to the DMB as Clarence Clemons’ is to the E Street Band and can be muted and pouty or an explosive driving force. Moore’s music bolts into a crafty partnership with the languid or trick shape-shifting violin work of Boyd Tinsely.

Dave Mathews Band’s tunes can be smooth and suggestive or cacophonous and full of life. And when they’re topped off with fuel, they get down like a hot rodded jalapeño with a beer chaser – drink too much? – and all shook up.

The two CD package delivers the expected “hits”, Disk 1 includes studio recordings such as “What Would You Say”, their breakaway monster “Crash into Me”, “Too Much”, “The Space Between”, “American Baby” and a slug of others, with the second round [Disc 2] a play list of “live” recordings from 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006 at the request of DMB fans.

The Best of What’s Around – Vol. 1 gives music lovers an interesting array of music from DMB that reflect the band’s growth and evolution. Although, some will be disappointed with a couple of significant omissions like “Satellite”, “I Did It” and “Where Are You Going?”, it’s a pretty decent attempt to give the people what they want and for the the "missing" songs, there's always iTunes or Rhapsody for downloading 'em.

For hard-wired DMB fans, they get what they want on Disk 1 and what they asked for on Disk 2. The rest of us get a great mix of hit songs from a group that Rolling Stone magazine has called, “The world’s greatest rock band.”

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Dave Mathews Band

Title: The Best of What's Around - Vol. 1
Record Label: RCA Records
Release Date: November 7, 2006

Disc 1:
1. What Would You Say (1996 Best Music Video short form Grammy nominee)
2. Crash Into Me (1998 Grammy Best Rock Song nominee)
3. Too Much (1997 Grammy Best Rock Song nominee)
4. Rapunzel
5. Crush (1999 Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy nominee)
6. So Right
7. The Space Between (2002 Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy nominee)
8. Grey Street
9. Grace Is Gone
10. Hunger for the Great Light
11. American Baby

Disc 2:
1. Don’t Drink The Water (From Sound Advice Amp., W. Palm Beach, FL)
2. Warehouse (From Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, WI)
3. Say Goodbye (From Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO)
4. Stay (Wasting Time) (From Verizon Wireless Amp., Selma, TX)
5. Everyday (From Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY)
6. Louisiana Bayou (From Verizon Wireless Amp., Selma, TX)
7. Ants Marching (From State Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia)
8. Two Step (From Giants Stadium, E. Ruthergord, N.J.)