Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds
Live At Luther College
»
Tim Reynolds
Live At Luther College
RCA, 1999
RiYL: Paul Simon, Pat Metheny, 'Muppets Take Manhattan' Soundtrack |
With the solid outer core of saxophone, violin, bass and drums removed from the performer's voice, listeners are able to savor the sugary centers of tunes such as "#41," "Dancing Nancies" and "Say Goodbye." Likewise, Matthews' unique guitar style never shines as brightly as it does in the sole company of guitar guru Tim Reynolds.
Hence, the singer/songwriter's Live At Luther College, is an enjoyable collection of pop classics perfect for a quiet Sunday morning in bed. Tired radio classics like "Ants Marching," "Crash Into Me," and "What Would You Say" are given new life on the first disc. And Matthews' darker songs, including "Warehouse," "Seek Up," and "Halloween," are presented as abstract flashes of brilliance on the album's second half.
The performance was recorded during an acoustic tour in February 1996, at a small college in Iowa. Luckily the estrogen-heavy crowd is a fairly polite one -- screams for Dave to take off his clothes are kept to a minimum. Additionally, Dave doesn't let his hormones get out of hand, limiting his cat calls and sexually-driven lyrics to just a few songs. The singer just concentrates on the task at hand and lets his voice soar.
No matter how tired Matthews' Kermit The Frog-esque falsetto has become, one can't avoid getting wrapped up in the emotions of songs such as "#41." Despite all of his pretentious MTV videos and ridiculous cheesy-stud bravado, this pop icon can still sound sincere. At moments, his voice flows out of his mouth like a raging river, carrying away the audience with its natural energy. Suddenly, one can remember how he became famous in the first place.
But Luther College inevitably begs one question: When will this reluctant hero come back to form with an album of new material? Sure, it's great to hear a superior version of "Cry Freedom," originally released on Crash. It's nice to get a CD-quality version of live favorites such as Reynolds' mind-blowing "Stream," and Dave's happy-go-lucky "Granny."
But at the time of its issue, this was the singer's fourth live release -- counting the Recently EP -- after only seven total recordings. Do avid collectors really want three official versions of "What Would You Say" or "Tripping Billies?" Did anyone ask for a fourth version of "Satellite," for God's sake?
Never.
Live At Luther College works well as a gift to die-hard fans. But let's hope it isn't also another sign of Mr. Matthews' failing creative senses.
BEN FRENCH | Ben founded NATN in the winter of 1998-1999 with fellow IU alums Troy Carpenter and Jonathan Cohen. During the day time, he's working for Nielsen Business Media, publisher of Billboard. Ben's favorite acts include Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.