Dave Matthews` new sound gets old

"Everyday," Dave Matthews Band, RCA, 2 1/2 stars

Dave Matthews isn`t kidding when he sings: I`m mixing up a bunch of magic stuff, a magic mushroom cloud, during the opening verse of "I Did It," the lead-off track (and first single) on the newly released "Everyday."

Unfortunately, this particular potion results in the near-disappearance of the Dave Matthews Band from large parts of this, the group`s sixth album. It is not until the ninth of "Everyday`s" dozen songs, the snappy "Fool to Think," that all five band members interact as musical equals.

On the preceding eight selections, saxophonist-flutist LeRoi Moore and violinist Boyd Tinsley make such minimal contributions - and are usually so buried in the sound mix when they do - it`s almost as if they`re making unwelcome cameo appearances. Equally dismaying, Matthews all but abandons his trademark acoustic guitar in favor of an electric model and a batch of mostly unchallenging songs, custom-made for pop radio.

It`s an alarming development for a group that has thrived, artistically and commercially, by disdaining convention.

The eclectic sound featured on previous Dave Matthews Band albums - a mixture of jazz, folk, funk, bluegrass, even World Beat - established the improvisation-happy group as of the most refreshing around.

With a front line of acoustic guitar, violin and sax, and a rhythm section (drummer Carter Beauford and bassist Stefan Lessard) that embraced polyrhythms and intricate time signatures, the Dave Matthews Band was distinctive. On "Everyday," it sounds much like the bland corporate rock to which it was an alternative.

"Everyday" was originally slated for release last fall, when it featured longtime Matthews producer Steve Lillywhite (whose credits include Peter Gabriel, U2 and Phish). Some of the songs from the original version of "Everyday," most notably "Bartender" and "Grey Street," were performed at the band`s Coors Amphitheatre gig in San Diego last summer.

Unfortunately, it wasn`t long after the Coors show that a hit-minded RCA Records honcho convinced Matthews to get together with Paula Abdul/Wilson Phillips production veteran Glen Ballard. Yes, that`s the same Glen Ballard who helped Alanis Morissette become an ersatz alternative-rock star.

Faster than you can say "magic mushroom" or "bad trip," Lillywhite was history, and Matthews and Ballard had co-written the 12 new songs featured on "Everyday." These include such paint-by-numbers rockers as "So Right" and "When the World Ends," along with the moody ballad "Sleep to Dream Her" (the verses of which sound so much like Procol Harum`s "Shine On Brightly," the members of that veteran English band may want to hire a copyright attorney).

"Everyday" is big, sleek and ultimately empty, with the only instrumental solo of note (or more than a few bars) coming from guest guitarist Carlos Santana on "Mother Father." All style and little substance, this calculated album should bring the Dave Matthews Band lots of new listeners who have little or no familiarity with the group`s previous, far superior work. The result recalls the 1977 album "Shakedown Street," the Grateful Dead`s dismal (and short-lived) attempt to refashion itself as a disco-friendly act.

But one could sense how uncomfortable Jerry Garcia and the rest of the Dead, who distanced themselves from the album, felt about that. Alas, Matthews has already proclaimed how excited he is about the "new" sound and direction "Everyday" represents. Here`s hoping this particular "bunch of magic stuff" won`t leave indelible egg stains all over his face.

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Author: George Varga