Dave Matthews Band released its seventh studio album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King on Tuesday, June 2.

The first song is called “Grux.”  The song is mostly just a nice, relaxing saxophone line.  In fact, the song is performed by the band’s late saxophonist Leroi Moore and serves as somewhat as a tribute to the man.  The name “Grux” comes from the nickname which Matthews and Moore used to describe the smooth yet wild rhythms that they produced together.

The next song “Shake Me Like a Monkey” is an upbeat song which just makes you want to dance.  It has more of a rock and roll feel than most of Matthews’ music and the style fits the band very well.  The lyrics are about intense passion and the music definitely fits them well.

The third track, “Funny the Way It Is,” is more along the lines of Matthews’ typical style.  I looked at the lyrics before actually listening to the song, and saw a long, full page and was dreading having to listen to the entire song which seemed to be of “Stairway to Heaven” proportions. However, the song has a nice melody, especially during the chorus, and the lyrics in the chorus are creative and really made me think.  The track was the first single released off of the album and it reached #37 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Being a big Dave Matthews fan, I looked through the album’s song names well before the song was released.  I saw the name “Spaceman” as the seventh track and I instantly was sure that this song was going to be a winner.  There was just something about the name, it sounded like it would be a beautiful song.  When I heard the short guitar riff with the slide, I got even more excited.  However, I was painfully disappointed.  It’s not that the song was bad, but the potential suggested by the name far exceeds what the song actually proves to be.  The lyrics are incredibly wordy and often seem completely random, and the transition between the choruses and the verses is far too rough.

From this point, the album becomes much more worth writing about.  Track 8, “Squirm,” is very strange at first, it almost sounds classical.  However, the song gets to be a really interesting.  It might not appeal as much to a non-Matthews fan, but it does have a nice rock feeling to it.

The eleventh track, “Time Bomb,” is an awesome song, quiet (for the most part) and beautiful.  The song presents Matthews’ philosophy, and it’s very moving.  However, when Matthews starts singing loudly at the end, it gets a little weird.  But despite this little twist at the end, the song is pretty and catchy, and I enjoyed it.

The twelfth, “Baby Blue,” is a beautiful, tranquil song.  The guitar part is repetitive but catchy.  However, the song is almost exhausting to listen to, especially if you’re a lyrics stickler.  The lyrics feel like one continuous phrase, and there’s almost no vocal break for any type of instrumental section.

The last song, “You and Me” is another slow but pretty song.  The song’s a little more interesting than the previous two songs with the chorus being a little louder, but it isn’t anything super.  The song is also very repetitive.

Rolling Stones’ David Fricke called the Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King album the band’s best yet.  I have to strongly disagree with him.  The album wasn’t awful, but it didn’t jump right out of the stereo  and grab me like some of Matthews’ albums do.  The song also had no particularly strong song.  There was no “Dreamgirl” or “American Baby” on this album.  It was just a myriad of average songs.  The album also lacked the typical Dave Matthews’ upbeat, party songs.

Because I love the Dave Matthews Band, and because I know the band made this album as a tribute to their deceased friend and bandmate, I hope that many people disagree with me and end up loving the album.  But, personally, I wouldn’t count on it.