Dave Matthews Band Busted Stuff Album Art

Dave Matthews doesn't exactly seem thrilled about this release. But how would you feel if you made an album with a producer you didn't like, dumped it, and then woke up one morning to find it leaked on the Internet and available at every bootleg stall in New York City? That's pretty much what happened with "The Lillywhite Sessions," the unreleased, darker predecessor to the blockbuster Everyday album. Rather than turn their back on the fans, however, Matthews and company returned to the studio to do the job right. On Busted Stuff, they revive those solemn songs with diligent intensity, creating lovely swaths of melancholy and transcendence. Elegant tracks like "Grace Is Gone" and "Digging a Ditch" replace the dreary gloss of the last album with dazzling intimacy, and even the band's usual tendency for meandering jazz-rock flights is kept in check by the sheer weight of the material. Impressive stuff, in spite of what Matthews apparently thinks. --Aidin Vaziri