The Dave Matthews Band
decided to team up with a very different producer for
Stand Up
--
Mark Batson
, who earned his reputation with modern
R&B
and
hip-hop
records by the likes of
India Arie
,
Joe
Beyonce
, and
Seal
. This doesn't result in an extreme makeover but instead puts a gentle gloss on the band's sound that renders it sleek and muted.
Batson
produces
the DMB
as he would any other record -- by keeping the mixes relatively spare and open, cutting up the rhythms in the computer, and polishing it all so it glistens. It's much warmer than
Glen Ballard
's makeover on 2001's
Everyday
, even if some of the cuts here appear to be pieced together in the studio.
Matthews
pulls away from the introspection of both
Busted Stuff
Some Devil
, occasionally reviving the humor that spiked his earlier work. The resulting album may not be to everybody's taste -- some fans will surely miss the loose jams that characterized
DMB
's '90s work -- but it is an intriguing change of pace for the group. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine