And then there's the amazing music all throughout the album. The music just grooves along, sometimes hiding the deeper meaning of the lyrics along the way. I think that's part of the attraction here for me. Each song has multiple layers of meaning. Enjoy it for the music. Enjoy it for the words. And then enjoy it for the thought it provokes along the journey. For me the combination of deep lyrics and amazing music blend to make this one of the most intriguing albums of the year so far.
With songs like "Lying in the Hands of God" telling someone to "Save your sermons for someone that's afraid to love / If you knew what I feel then you couldn't be so sure / I'll be right here lying in the hands of God." The person's world is upside down — "Now the floor is the ceiling" — and he wonders about this person, perhaps a priest, lecturing him on how to feel.
And in "Dive In" the opening lines describe something we've all likely struggled with at one time or another: "I saw a man on the side of the road / With a sign that read 'Will work for food' / I tried to look away 'til the light turned green." But the song then goes further to show how the man on the side of the road is just a symptom of deeper issues in the world and questions if things are truly getting better: "Though we would like to believe that we are / We are not in control / Though we would love to believe."
Beyond the social depth of the album, DMB also created songs of hope and love. "Spaceman" is a man describing his love for his girl and the hope he keeps when things get rough: "Probably get it wrong much as I get it right / But I got it right woman / When I caught your eye / What I remember most / About that night is / I love the way you move baby." This one, too, goes on to share that no matter what, we have to keep earning a living and we may not always love ourselves, but he won't stop loving her.
Article comments
1 - Nate
Exceptional review.
2 - Fitz
Thanks Nate!
I just saw this yesterday as well...
"Dave Matthews Band's Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King (RCA) debuts at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with 424,089 copies sold in its first week of release. The record is also No. 1 on the Digital Albums Chart, the 20 Rock Albums Chart and the Alternative Albums Chart."