DAVE MATTHEWS Some Devil (RCA/BMG) Rating: NN
Rating: NN
Dave Matthews’s self-indulgent solo disc strays a bit from the jammy, jumpy formula that has made him the beloved of the backpack set. The ambient, world-beatish kick-off of album opener Dodo suggests he’s making his own Graceland, but it belies the remainder of the album, which is more akin to Sting than Paul Simon. Here he presents himself as a Serious Musician, with a full string orchestra and horn section at his disposal, churning out darker tunes that hint at the artiste within. Some of ’em, like the Appalachian folk-tinged Grey Blue Eyes, work most sound like vanity wanking.
