And though it's red blood bleeding from her now,

It feels like cold, blue ice in her heart.

And all the colors mixed together to gray.

The proceeding selected lines of lyrics are taken from 'Gray Street', one of
the many beautiful and blissful tracks that simply burst with talent. The album?
Busted Stuff, released in July 2002 by the Dave Matthews Band. I chose those
lyrics in particular, because while they mean something completely different in
the context of their song, they are a perfect description of the album.
Opposites, mixtures, and many dazzling colors, all mixing to form one of the
best albums I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

From the start, you are greeted with the album's title track, 'Busted Stuff',
a jazzy swing tune that in no way sets a mood for the album. In truth, nothing
sets a mood for this compilation of talent and musical genius. That's because
after 'Busted Stuff' finishes, you are handed the powerful, superb rush of
energy that encompasses 'Gray Street', the song from which the above lyrics are
taken.

And on and on and on. After 'Gray Street', things change again to a more
relaxed song, 'Where Are You Going', and so forth. The album has no real mood,
or no real genre for that matter. Everything from the depressed 'Grace Is Gone'
to the peaceful 'Digging a Ditch' is accented, and no set tone is really carried
on throughout the album. The red blood flows openly like a river in the
aforementioned 'Gray Street' as well as numerous other tracks like 'Bartender'.
And yet mingling with these tracks like brothers are the cool, relaxed songs
like 'Digging a Ditch' and 'Brighter On the Other Side'.

And this is where the perplexing greatness of Busted Stuff lies. While you
may not like every track from beginning to end, you'd be hard pressed to find a
music fan that won't find something pleasable throughout the eleven musical
masterpieces set on the table by DMB this time out. Everything from alternative
rock to cool jazz is represented in some way. Aside from death metal and that
horrible hip hop, you've got an almost indefinable album that'll find something
for everyone. Because all of its colors mix together, but not to gray. All the
colors mix together to gold.