Thankfully, the second disc picks up the slack left by the first disc in the set and goes back to the band's country roots.
Two of the band's more underrated tracks, "What Would You Say" and "Stay (Wasting Time)," prove their musical worth once again, and a soaring cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" -- another staple of the DMB live experience -- is thrown in for good measure.
Just in time for the crowd to go home, the encore really whips things up, with a dancing fiddle and banjo-heavy renditions of "Two Step" and "Ants Marching" that feel right at home on the grander scale of the concert stage.
The talents of the band members are wonderfully apparent on this enjoyable second disc -- it erases any doubt about why this particular performance was chosen for release.
But the boring first disc puts in perspective what happens when Dave chooses to break away and swing solo from time to time.
By Allison Rost
Jaheim
Still Ghetto
1 Star
As background music played at a reasonably low volume, Jaheim's Still Ghetto might be one of the most fo-ghetto-ble albums of the year -- the pun being no worse than the music.
The young New Jersey artist's music appears to reflect the hardship found on the streets -- survival of the trials and tribulations of living in the ghetto.
But no pearls of wisdom can be found in the album -- like a tired song of lost love, listeners will have heard it all before. The voice might be new, but the tune has remained the same.
There is nothing innovative about the music or the lyrics, and stories are cliched, even for those just attempting to get in touch with their inner thug.
There's not a hip-hop artist in the music industry who could give Jaheim's sophomore album a boost -- not even Mary J. Blige, who performs as a guest artist in "Beauty and Thug."
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In fact, her performance appears to be nothing more than a projection of adulation -- clearly the opening lyrics sung by Blige are about Jaheim himself. But praise is normally deserved for knowing a good thing when you see it. But who wouldn't want to be lauded by one of R&B's biggest artists, even if it's undeserved?
The same could be said for the occasional voices of singing children, which echo throughout the album and are prominent in tracks such as "Fabulous." They, too, fail to enhance the album.
"Fabulous," the popular single making its way to radio stations, embodies the focus of Jaheim's music -- taking the listener to the artist's domain.
"Young cat got back, did a little dig/Might be hearty, but he tough/Do rag and Timbs/Kinda hard to get a job back out on the block," sings Jaheim.
Jaheim's lyrics and themes may be redundant, but his imagery does sometimes prove powerful. "Shots gettin' popped/The cops shut down the party/Jeans sag low/Blow smoke out of Dutches" are words that cannot help but create pictures in the listener's mind.
But imagery alone can neither support music nor make up for the lack of originality.
Still Ghetto is one album that doesn't need a follow-up.
By Natalie Harry
