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Overview

Getting back to the basics after a semi-extended break, Dave Matthews Band reunites with producer Steve Lillywhite -- the man who helmed their big major-label hits of the '90s -- for Away from the World, 2012's long-gestating sequel to 2009's Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. This marks the first time Lillywhite has worked with DMB since 1998's Before These Crowded Streets, and there's no denying he's the best producer for the band, articulating their elasticity with clarity and reigning in their excesses. Which isn't to say Away from the World is streamlined, as it hardly is. It has frayed ends and odd shifts, moments of great exuberance countered with quivering sensitivity, tightly written pop songs giving way to mini-epics, love songs balanced with ribald paeans to dripping peaches and full bellies. It's a little of everything that the Dave Matthews Band does, condensed to a relatively tight 53 minutes, Lillywhite giving the inherent digressions crispness and warmth, just like he did on Under the Table and Dreaming and Crash, but for as much as this recalls the sound of prime '90s DMB, Away from the World is clearly the work of a veteran band, one not so concerned with hits, one that likes to live within the well-etched world they've created. Sure, a few of these songs could conceivably cross over beyond the DMB diehards -- "If Only" is underpinned by some seductive soul groove, "Rooftop" carries a big pop hook, while the sex romp "Belly Belly Nice" evokes memories of "Ants Marching" -- but there is no real attempt to broaden their audience, nor is there the self-conscious stretching that marked some of Matthews' 2000s albums. Matthews is quite content where he is, writing songs about his family, wife, the world, and life as he approaches middle age, happy to consolidate DMB's strengths without quite seeming settled. Consequently, Away from the World is a bit of a rare thing: a return to form lacking an ounce of nostalgia. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date: 09/11/2012
Label: Rca
UPC: 0887254352723
Rank: 80837

Tracks

  1. Broken Things
  2. Belly Belly Nice
  3. Mercy
  4. Gaucho
  5. Sweet
  6. The Riff
  7. Belly Full
  8. If Only
  9. Rooftop
  10. Snow Outside
  11. Drunken Soldier

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dave Matthews Band   Primary Artist
David Matthews   Primary Artist,Vocals,Piano,Guitar
Roger Smith   Organ
Tim Reynolds   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Stefan Lessard   Bass,Fender Rhodes
Boyd Tinsley   Violin
Rashawn Ross   Trumpet,Keyboards,Flugelhorn,Trumpet (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Jeff Coffin   Flute,Sax (Tenor),Flute (Alto),Sax (Soprano),Sax (Baritone)
Youth Ch-Op Choir   Vocals (Background)
Carter Beauford   Drums,Percussion,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

David Matthews   Composer,Art Direction,Illustrations
LeRoi Moore   Composer
Danny Clinch   Photography
Michael Brauer   Mixing
Justin Armstrong   Engineer
Tim Reynolds   Composer
Stefan Lessard   Composer
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Steve Lillywhite   Mixing,Producer
Boyd Tinsley   Composer
Rashawn Ross   Composer
Lars Fox   Pro-Tools
Craig Baker   Guitar Technician
Jeff Coffin   Composer
Dave Matthews Band   Composer
Ryan Gilligan   Pro-Tools,Mixing Assistant
Joe Lawlor   Videography
Mark Matthews   Composer
Bill Greer   Production Assistant
Bruce Flohr   A&R
Kara Gilfoil   Production Assistant
Henry Luniewski   Drum Technician
Ian Kuhn   Coloring,Digital Layout
Lindsay Brown   Project Coordinator
Matt Long   Project Coordinator
Sharon Lord   Product Manager
Coran Capshaw   Management
Aaron Borns   Product Manager
Daniel Piscina   Mixing
Floyd Reitsma   Mixing,Engineer
Erik Porter   Bass Technician
Patrick Jordan   Product Manager
Nick Davidge   Package Design
Steven Aguilar   Assistant Engineer
Coffin   Composer
Tinsley   Composer
Ann Kingston   Project Coordinator
Laura Samsel   Studio Assistant
Naomi Duckworth   Package Design
Zarah Hitner   Studio Assistant
John Alagia   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Carter Beauford   Composer
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