Dave Matthews Band
Under The Table And Dreaming

Intended to review all the essential DMB albums, I proceed to turn on the player, cuddle under the table, and start dreaming.

"The Best of What's Around" is an overwhelming track. A bomb of style: acoustic guitar, sax, violin and Carter Beauford's superb drumming craft the best opening track of all their albums. I repeatedly bang my head against the table and await the second piece.
With the somewhat funky folk-rock of "What Would You Say", my legs start moving and it's impossible to stop them. When the final jam begins, I find myself dancing on top of the cube like a possessed person.
But then here comes "Satellite," which allows me to catch my breath and immerses me in a spring landscape filled with sweetness and tranquility, thanks to a unique acoustic riff and a chorus that is nothing short of captivating.
In "Rhyme and Reason", Dave tries to torment me with a more furious vocal timbre than ever. And he does it perfectly.
I find peace immediately afterward. And with "Typical Situation," poetry becomes music. The guitar riff is so simple that it seems only a backdrop to the profound rhymes that are served to me. Then the chorus takes you by surprise, and you feel a joy that is uncommon. At this point, I have dozed off under the table, and if the rest of the album is like this, I certainly don't want to wake up.
In "Dancing Nancies," we're still on Über levels. Sax, guitar, and violin merge to create a truly unique piece with an extraordinary crescendo.
"Ants Marching" and "Jimy Thing" are two classics for DMB, full of groove and rhythm, a little pop but not banal or predictable. "Lover Lay Down" could easily be my romantic dedication of the album: simple, concise, poignant.
In "Warehouse," bass and guitar take the lead. The track flows well, but in the finale, it really gives its best and I feel like I've landed in the Caribbean while whistling "In the warehouse"...
The curtain closes with "34". I dive in and let myself be rocked like a child.

I wake up groggy, all these ups and downs have shaken me a bit, but I will surely return shortly under the table to dream again.