Artist bio

See also: Tim Reynolds, Dave Matthews

It sucks to like an artist before he gets big. But it sucks even more to like an artist before he gets big, commercialized, uncreative and loathefully attractive to throngs of pre-teen girls. Yes, Dave Matthews has a great voice. Yes he has a great band. And damnit, he was once able to pen inspired pop songs. But rather than evolving into an artist you love to follow, Dave has evolved into a frat-house circus monkey you love to hate. Essentially, he and his band hit their zenith in 1994 with Under the Table and Dreaming and its been downhill since. The cheesy videos. The collaboration with Santana. The attack on the bootlegg industry. The guy's become a loser. While 2002's Busted Stuff was a slight improvement over his most recent efforts, the NATN editorial team doesn't hold much hope of him ever returning to our favor.

Albums by this artist

Everyday (2001)

Before These Crowded Streets (1998)

Live At Red Rocks (1997)

Crash (1996)

'Recently' (1994)

Under The Table And Dreaming (1994)

Remember Two Things (1993)

Dave Matthews Band

Remember Two Things

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» BEN FRENCH | CO-DIRECTOR

Dave Matthews Band Remember Two Things Bama Rags, 1993 RiYL: Ry Cooder, Sting, Paul Simon, Phish

The pounding snap of Carter Beauford's snare at the opening of "Ants Marching" -- the first track of the Dave Matthews Band's Remember Two Things -- is a powerful countdown.

It represents nothing less than the entrance of the first '90s rock and roll star to truly embrace the acoustic guitar (without a distortion pedal lying nearby) and pick up where artists like Sting and Peter Gabriel left off. The beat is the dawn of a new and important figure -- for better or worse, this is pop culture's answer to Kurt Cobain.

Picture it: at this point, Dave Matthews is still playing fraternity parties at Virginia colleges. His job as a local bartender is a not-so-distant memory. He's ready to conquer the nation's audience -- on the verge of holding the airwaves captive. He is excited about where he's headed and the result is 10 songs full of life, charming inexperience and damned hard work.

Matthews' tender red vocals are ripe, as they lay themselves over each hypnotic melody. The sax and violin combo is unique, blending together styles from a broad palate of genres. The songs are crafted, built firmly out of practice and serious thought.

Remember Two Things has some compelling dynamics one can't help but notice on each listen. The lyrics are fun, yet somewhat pensive. The music is serious too -- a jazzy sax, nouveau-acoustic guitar, massive drum kit -- but still very playful. The melodies are downright contagious, yet not overpowering.

"Ants Marching" is the first of six songs recorded during a show at Charlottesville, Va.'s Trax, making this a near-live album. But the band is plenty qualified to carry the load. The performances of "Ants," "Tripping Billies" and "Satellite" are all superior to their studio-crafted counterparts, which were released on the band's following two albums.

True: The album's two studio songs are a little too fluffy. But there is nothing unpleasant about them. In fact, "Seek Up" may be Matthews' most underrated song, illustrating his mature patience as a songwriter. Here, he writes an elegant composition and brings a series of simple motifs to slight simmer before fading back into a brilliant silence.

Also, "Satellite," Matthews' best-known love song, makes its first appearance here. A combination of a high-pitched ballad and dexterity exercise for guitarists, the tune creates a feeling of careless love, suspended in a heavenly dream: "Rest high above the clouds. No restriction."

To top it out, Matthews earns his singer/songwriter badge with a pair of acoustic ballads that were reportedly recorded in a bathroom, with guest guitarist Tim Reynolds adding some classically bent guitar frills atop the songwriter's soft rhythm. The first, "I'll Back You Up," is a sad and thoughtful response to the free fall of "Satellite." The last is "Christmas Song," the biography of Jesus Christ in a nutshell, worth at least a couple hundred listens.

After finishing the album, one is left to answer: "Does Dave get better than this?"

Most would respond with a resounding "yes" -- pointing to his major label debut with flapping arms -- but it really isn't that clear. The charismatic singer's entrance to the mainstream mindset would not come until more than a year later, with the release of 1994's Under The Table And Dreaming. The follow-up has broader appeal, yes, and far more focus. But Remember Two Things reveals that Matthews' raw creative powers sadly started to disintegrate once the album was released.

It is here we get our best look at the singer's creative core. Dave isn't running out of ideas (yet), and he still has something to prove. The hunger in his voice is powerful and it pulls the songs together -- making up for mixed recording settings and uneven levels. The lyrics suggest the singer sees love as more than getting laid, a thought that faded by his third release. And the compositions are clever enough to make you wonder how he ever came up with them in the first place.

Conclusion: Stranded on a deserted island, go with Matthews' first debut.

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.