While in many ways, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King is a collection of songs on the familiar Dave Matthews Band theme of “eat, drink, and be merry/for tomorrow we die,” the sudden death of band member LeRoi Moore lends additional poignancy on the band’s seventh major-label outing. The disc is a tribute not only to Moore’s life (“Grux” was Moore's nickname) but also to his importance as a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band.
Dark DMB Songs about Life and Death
Although Moore’s death casts a pall, Matthews’ lyrics are occasionally trite (“Funny the way it is/if you think about it/Someone is going hungry/someone else is eating out”). Most tracks, however, shine lyrically and musically. “Dive In” contains buoyant instrumentals mixed with dark lyrics about global warming. And on “Time Bomb,” Matthews sings calmly about living on the edge until the song explodes into a driving track, all instruments (even guitar licks from guest Tim Reynolds) competing with Matthews’ screaming meltdown and marking a gorgeous, violent climax to the album’s messages about life's fragility.
Still Here Dancing with the GrooGrux King
Moore’s saxophone is almost always front and center on Big Whiskey, from the opening track, “Grux” to the unnamed hidden “track” that completes the album—a set of notes repeated until the fade. Yet the most poignant reminder of Moore’s importance to the unique Dave Matthews Band sound is “Lying in the Hands of God," on which Moore's saxophone and Matthews’ voice duet, each pushing the other to exhilarating heights and relegating other instruments to the background.
A Fitting Tribute to LeRoi Moore
Big Whiskey appropriately ends on notes sad (“Baby Blue,” Matthews’ goodbye to Moore) and uplifting (the simple love song “You and Me”) before fading into Moore’s final solo. Overall, the disc features both stellar instrumental work and trademark Dave Matthews lyrics about life and death that make Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King the quintessential Dave Matthews Band album and, therefore, a fitting tribute to the band’s fallen member.
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