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Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King
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Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King Image
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 63 Ratings

  • Summary: The rock band's latest album was produced by Rob Cavallo and is its first album without saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who died in the summer of 2008.

Top Track

You & Me
Wanna pack your bags, Something small Take what you need and we disappear Without a trace we'll be gone, gone The moon and the stars can follow the... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. AllMusic
    90
    What makes Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King the Dave Matthews Band's richest, and quite possibly best, album is the implicit message that all the love and loss can be felt and shared through the music, that the creation of the music itself is the reason why they're here--and that's not just a moving tribute to LeRoi Moore, it's a reason for the band to keep moving on.
  2. Billboard
    80
    This eulogy is a celebration, and Big Whiskey is a dense, humid album that, befitting its New Orleans origins, shrewdly cuts its melancholy with exuberance and vice versa.
  3. Rolling Stone
    80
    Big Whiskey, though, is a lot like a New Orleans funeral parade--mourning and zest balled into big, brawny music.
  4. Paste Magazine
    65
    While the band takes some sonic risks and shows continued versatility on songs like 'Alligator Pie (Cockadile),' the album is saddled with some of the same leaden production values that have dogged the latter half of the band’s recorded career.
  5. Boston Globe
    60
    Given the musically versatile, vaunted band behind it, Big Whiskey, for all its stylistic reach and array of textures, is frequently beset with a curious bout of blandness.
  6. Mojo
    60
    Although every other verse here is filled by paradiddles, polyrhythms and wilfully complex time signatures, DMB's ear for a tune at least provides us with some fine choruses. [Jul 2009, p.94]
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  7. Uncut
    40
    Too often they sound like Sting fronting Counting Crows. [Jul 2009, p.93]
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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 18
  3. Negative: 2 out of 18
  1. SeanRisher
    Jun 7, 2009
    10
    The Band did it with this one!
  2. ChrisM
    Jun 15, 2009
    10
    This album carries with it an implicit message of love and humanity that makes it the most mature DMB yet.
  4. dan52484
    Oct 12, 2010
    10
    I liked this album, though not as good as some older stuff never-the-less it achieves relevance for today. songs through out album are prettyI liked this album, though not as good as some older stuff never-the-less it achieves relevance for today. songs through out album are pretty good and diverse. Its cool to know that Dave and the crew minus Leroi are still competent in making good music. Its evident that Dave is just doing all that he has ever known, writing and performing art.… Expand
  5. JohnM
    Jun 4, 2009
    9
    a moving tribute to leroi moore. surely one of the best albums in the DMB catalog. lifting themes and musical styles from early in their a moving tribute to leroi moore. surely one of the best albums in the DMB catalog. lifting themes and musical styles from early in their career with some of the more dreamy tones of the latter work.… Expand
  6. MattH-C
    Jun 9, 2009
    7
    While not quite "Big Three" material (the 3 being "Under the Table and Dreaming," "Crash" & "Before These Crowded Streets," Big Whiskey is While not quite "Big Three" material (the 3 being "Under the Table and Dreaming," "Crash" & "Before These Crowded Streets," Big Whiskey is akin to Busted Stuff...a solid album with a few "wtf" moments (Funny The Way It Is, for example).… Expand
  7. XavierBlaq
    Jan 11, 2014
    5
    Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King was the exception to the rule for me: it got worse every time I re-listened to it. When I first listened toBig Whiskey And The GrooGrux King was the exception to the rule for me: it got worse every time I re-listened to it. When I first listened to it, I thought it was a great album with only two or three songs that may not be as good as the rest of the album. However, that has flipped, and now I only like three songs on the album (Lying in the Hands of God, Squirm, and You & Me). Still, I cannot say it is a terrible album, but it certainly continues the downward slide of Dave Matthews Band since Crash, which is unfortunate for such a uniquely talented group.… Collapse
  8. GregA
    Jun 3, 2009
    0
    Absolutely insulting to the world of music. Why anyone would listen to this boyish, simple, lackluster music is beyond me--much less give it Absolutely insulting to the world of music. Why anyone would listen to this boyish, simple, lackluster music is beyond me--much less give it a good review.… Expand

See all 18 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Most Discussed Album of 2009