Almost a decade, and I’m *still* not sure why Dave Matthews decided to make a solo album. After all, his band bears HIS name, he’s the obvious frontman, and he does the overwhelming majority of the songwriting (or at least the lyrics) for the band. Particularly in light of 2001’s “Everyday”, an album that minimized the contributions of Stefan, Carter, Boyd and LeRoi (R.I.P.), the decision to record “Some Devil” struck me as kind of curious. Regardless, “Some Devil” was a pretty damn decent album, even if it wasn’t the happiest record ever made.
Less than a year after “Some Devil”‘s release, another DMB member decided to put out a solo record. Violinist Boyd Tinsley decided to take a turn in the spotlight and released “True Reflections” in spring 2003. This wasn’t entirely a left-field thing to do-as a veteran of several DMB shows, I’d seen Boyd take the stage to perform the album’s title track on a couple of occasions.
What was enjoyable for eight minutes wasn’t exactly as enjoyable over the course of 60. As a certified DMB stan, I quickly obtained a copy of “True Reflections”. I just as quickly sold it back. Seven years on, I can’t remember much of the album, but suffice it to say I don’t intend to revisit it anytime soon. The public appeared to agree with my assessment, as “True Reflections” has sold only about 40,000 copies so far. Not to say Boyd isn’t talented, because he is (and there’s no argument about that at all). However, some folks just aren’t meant to carry an entire album by themselves.