This album marks the joining of some new musicians, and the return of some old friends.  Jeff Coffin sits in on saxophone with the passing of LeRoi Moore, and holds his own, maintaining the complimentary wails that fans have come to know and love.  Rashawn Ross plays trumpet, most noticeably on the second track “Shake Me Like a Monkey” which starts with strong horns, which continue throughout the song.

Big Whiskey Cover Art

Tim Reynolds rejoins the group after previous studio and live appearances with Dave and DMB to wail on the electric guitar for Big Whiskey, most notably with a solo on the track “Why I Am”.  As always Tim brings heavy hitting electric riffs that compliment the upbeat and sometimes wild pace of this album.  Also joining the band on Big Whiskey and The Groo Grux King is Danny Barnes on the Banjo.

Now for a rundown of my favorite tracks with some comments. . .

Grux: Serves as an excellent introduction to the album named after fallen band member LeRoi Moore with some mellow saxophone over drums and violin.  Starts with some mellow wails and progresses to a high pitch screech over two minutes that leads very well into the second track “Shake Me Like a Monkey” with its fast pace, strong horn section, and heavy beats.

Shake Me Like A Monkey: This second track has the frenetic upbeat energy of a live performance.  With its sharp transitions, and gritty lyrics this song delivers a classic DMB party atmosphere, and danceable beats.  Personally my favorite lyrics from this track are, “I like my coffee with toast and jelly, but I’d rather be licking you from your back to your belly”  These are the gritty, nearing nonsensical lyrics that I have grown to know and love coming from DMB, and fit the vibe of this song perfectly.

Funny The Way It Is: As is the case with many songs on this album, the first single shows the influence that the loss of LeRoi had on the band members and the album.  Despite its upbeat tempo, the lyrics to this song convey a bittersweet sentiment as Dave ponders the ups and downs of life, and the power of circumstance.  Carter Beauford’s sharp drumming is accented by a nice mix of acoustic and electric guitar, and violin from Boyd that fills out the song nicely, without it sounding overcrowded.  This uptempo pace seems even more accentuated as the backdrop for Dave’s often melancholy lyrics, “Somebodies broken heart becomes your favorite song”.  This lyric seems to epitomize this first single off the album which deals with the loss and confusion that comes from LeRoi’s death.

Lying in The Hands of God: This is the first track on the album that has a considerably slower pace, beginning with some high saxophone, followed by Dave’s soft and sweet vocals.  The intricate acoustic guitar and blue lyrics give this song a somber, but confident tone.

Why I Am: While not has hard and driving as “Shake Me Like a Monkey”, this song has an assured tone.  The beat and guitar riff had me bobbing my head immediately, and is possibly one of the catchiest songs instrumentally on the album.  The strong saxophone complimenting the build of the song is very much a nod to the legacy of Moore.  Additionally, Tim Reynolds’ short solo on electric guitar is a jewel in this song, giving it a solid rock feel.  Again the lyrics of this song give a nod to LeRoi Moore, “It’s why I am. . . Still here dancing with the Groo Grux King.  We’ll be drinking big whiskey while we dance and sing, and when my story ends it’s gonna end with him.  Heaven or hell, I’m going there with the Groo Grux King.”

Alligator Pie (Cockadile): This song has the soul of a gritty southerner from the deep South.  With the Rock / Bluegrass fusion sound that comes from the addition of Danny Barnes on Banjo, and lyrics about waiting for rescue from flood waters, this song exemplifies stereotypes of the south.  Another welcome component of this song, is slightly more scatting from Dave than is present in the rest of the album.  His improvisational lyrics, so prominent in live performance, are a nice touch to this studio album.

You and Me: This is a classic sounding love song from DMB, with light, and happy lyrics.  The simple guitar riffs are accompanied by light accompanying percussion.  Dave’s vocals set the entire song off, as the center of attention musically, they roll easily over your ears.  This song also has a surprise ending, as the outtro is contained at the end of the track.  As the counterpart to the intro “Grux” it is a simple instrumental featuring the saxophone with string and percussion support to round out the short piece, which is less than a minute in length.

While these are my personal favorite tracks from Big Whiskey and The Groo Grux King, the entire album deserves multiple listens, and is an amazing piece of creative work.  The soulful, and spirited compilation of tracks are the most fitting tribute possible to a fallen friend and band mate.  Additionally, this album is without question one of the best they have ever produced, and is by far the best since some of their earlier work.  Overall, I give it an A/A+ and highly reccomend it to anyone who has ever even remotely enjoyed the music of Dave Matthews Band.