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Before These Crowded Streets

Artist: Dave Matthews Band
Genre: Alternative
Year: 1998
Rating: 7 / 10

The Dave Matthews Band has outdone themselves once again on Before These Crowded Streets, their latest studio effort. While featuring some distinct differences from the band's most recent work, Streets still contains all of the eclectic energy for which the band is known.

It has only been two years since the band's last album, but Before These Crowded Streets could not have been more anticipated. When the album debuted on Billboard's countdown in its opening week, Before These Crowded Streets became the first album in thirteen weeks to dethrone the Titanic soundtrack, which was onlyone week away from tying the all-time Billboard record. While Crash only debuted at number two when it surfaced in 1996, Streets went straight to the top, and it was really no surprise to the industry. That is how much the band has grown as a national phenomenon in the past few years, and it is likewise a testament to the strength of the latest album.

Before These Crowded Streets, whose title is taken from the song "The Dreaming Tree", samples a wide array of musical sounds, from the Far Eastern nuances of "The Last Stop" to "Stay (Wasting Time)", driven by strong background vocals, including those of Alanis Morrissette. The album is consistent from start to finish, with its best attribute being the variety of favorites to choose from. The album contains slower, more introspective tracks such as "The Dreaming Tree" as well as more upbeat fare such as "Pig", a renamed yet classic Dave Matthews track. Whatever one's particular tastes, something exists for everyone.

As a true die-hard fan, I can never seem to get enough of Dave Matthews, so this album was exactly what I needed. While some might be drawn to radio-friendly fare such as "Don't Drink the Water" and "The Last Stop", I feel that the band's true excellence and talent is more evident on tracks such as "The Dreaming Tree" and "The Stone". As Dave Matthews has grown over the years to the arena-friendly act it now is considered, the band has come to thrive on driving classics such as "Ants Marching". Yet the band's musicianship shines above all else when the members change pace to something more cerebral, as was the case with past favorites "Lover Lay Down" and "Proudest Monkey". This tradition is carried on throughout Streets, and that is what keeps this listener coming back for more.

Before These Crowded Streets, along with the next in the series of live albums the band is releasing this summer, should signal the band's long-awaited arrival at mass acceptance. The group has illustrated an ability to grow musically while exciting fans everywhere with new approaches and fresh takes on familiar themes. As long as Dave Matthews continues to forever examine their musical growth with the passage of time, they will long find themselves atop the music world.

See Also: Dave Matthews Band Tribute

Submitted 5/8/98.