Whats on Album Reviews
Big Whiskey & the Groogrux King
By Dave Matthews Band
Genre: Alt Rock/Jazz Fusion
Rating: 4/5
There's more to Dave Matthew's distinctive voice that gives DMB's music the edge their jam style is unique with several gems planted into each track. With Big Whiskey, they show us what their heart is full of right now they use their music to bid farewell to co-founder and saxophonist of the group, LeRoi Moore who passed away last August. Grux, the first track on their seventh studio album features a sax piece by Moore. It is soulful and emotionally heavy, which then bleeds into the hard beat of Shake Me Like a Monkey. Funny The Way It Is espouses Matthews' heavy heart through great lyrics. The intense drumming-sax-violin sequences seem cathartic to a band that's coping with a loss so huge. Big Whiskey as an album teeters on the philosophy behind the "tragic clown" a celebratory farce to hide emotions running deep. The album cover also features a sketch of Moore's face as a huge float amid a big parade. Squirm is intense, musically and lyrically Don't be dead before you die...If kindness is your king, then heaven will be yours. Lying In The Hands of God and Spaceman show the band's tryst with spirituality. Why I am is one of the few conspicuous dedications to Moore, with lyrics, Why I am still here... Dancing With the Groogrux King. This one'su00a0 worth every saved up buck.
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