Away from the World

Away from the World is the band's first album to be produced by Lillywhite since 1998, although he also worked with the band on their ill-fated "Lillywhite Sessions" in 2000, most of the songs from which were re-recorded with Stephen Harris for the band's 2002 release Busted Stuff. Frequent collaborator John Alagía also contributed, co-producing the tracks "Broken Things", "Mercy", and "Rooftop".{{cite AV media notes |title=Away from the World |author=Dave Matthews Band |publisher=RCA Records |date=11 September 2012 |type=liner notes}} Recording began at Studio Litho (established by Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam) in January 2012 and concluded in May of that year. On the band's recording process, Tinsley stated: {{cquote|Some of the songs that you hear on this album, the basic tracks came out, like, the first or second time we played them. Dave would come in with part of a song. We’d get into the control room and we’d finish it, putting in a chorus or bridge here and working out arrangements. And then we went to the studio, and we just played.{{cite web|url=http://www.dmbnews.net/2012/07/boyd-tinsley-the-dmbnews-net-interview.html |title=Boyd Tinsley: The DMBnews.net Interview |publisher=DMBnews.net |date=July 19, 2012 |access-date=September 17, 2012}}}} Tower of Power's Roger Smith played Hammond organ on "If Only", while a youth chorus provided vocals on "Gaucho".

On April 24, Matthews debuted soon-to-be lead single "Mercy" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. In May, "Gaucho" was made available for download from the band's website for members of the Warehouse Fan Association, although the song did not receive an official single release. Numerous tracks that would be included on the album—"Mercy", "Gaucho", "Sweet", "If Only", "The Riff", "Rooftop", "Snow Outside", and "Belly Belly Nice"—were all played on the band's 2012 summer tour. During the week leading up to the album's release, it was available to stream for free on iTunes. The album's title was taken from a lyric in "The Riff": "Sitting in a box/away from the world out there", which, according to Matthews, relates to the idea that "we are born and die alone" and that "our body is our box".

The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard 200 with album sales of 266,000 in its first week, becoming the band's sixth consecutive album to top the chart.{{cite web|url=http://artists.letssingit.com/dave-matthews-band-kf166/news/|title=Dave Matthews Band - LetsSingIt Lyrics|website=LetsSingIt}} By the end of December 2012, the album had sold 458,000 copies.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1484026/grammy-nominations-shut-outs-a-look-at-the-numbers-behind-justin-bieber|title=Grammy Nominations Shut-Outs: A Look at the Numbers Behind Justin Bieber, One Direction, Lionel Richie, More|magazine=Billboard }} The album also peaked at the top of Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, and reached No. 3 in Canada.

"Mercy" was released as the album's lead single on July 16. It became a number-one hit on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart, and also reached No. 95 on the Hot 100 and No. 30 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/dave-matthews-band/chart-history/hsi/ |website=Billboard |title=Dave Matthews Band Chart History |access-date=27 September 2023}} The second single, "If Only", was also successful on the AAA chart, reaching number 11.

{{Music ratings

|MC = 77/100{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/away-from-the-world/dave-matthews-band|title=Reviews for Away from the World by Dave Matthews Band|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=September 17, 2012}}

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/away-from-the-world-mw0002401535|title=Away from the World – Dave Matthews Band / Dave Matthews|publisher=AllMusic|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|access-date=September 17, 2012}}

|rev2 = Billboard

|rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/1066867/dave-matthews-band-away-from-the-world-track-by-track-review|title=Dave Matthews Band, 'Away From the World': Track-By-Track Review|magazine=Billboard|date=September 11, 2012|access-date=June 12, 2018}}

|rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

|rev3Score = B{{cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/article/2012/09/07/albums-sept-1421-2012/|title=Albums: Sept. 14/21, 2012|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|last1=Anderson|first1=Kyle|last2=Tucker|first2=Ken|author-link2=Ken Tucker|date=September 7, 2012|access-date=June 12, 2018}}

|rev4 = Rolling Stone

|rev4Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/away-from-the-world-20120911|title=Away From the World|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Dolan|first=Jon|date=September 11, 2012|access-date=June 12, 2018}}

}}

Away from the World received a positive reception from critics. Billboard awarded the album four stars out of five, and called the band "as intriguing and adventurous now as it was when the Lillywhite-produced Under the Table and Dreaming came out [in 1994]." Rolling Stone praised Lillywhite's production and the interplay between band members, highlighting the album's fusion of "New Orleans R&B, lithe jazz fusion and nimbly driving jam rock". Megan Ritt of Consequence also gave praise to Lillywhite's production and the album's simplified sound, saying "despite having more players in studio than ever, DMB manages to sound stripped down — and more like itself than it has in a long time."{{cite web |url=https://consequence.net/2012/09/album-review-dave-matthews-band-away-from-the-world/ |website=Consequence |title=Album Review: Dave Matthews Band – Away from the World |last=Ritt |first=Megan |access-date=27 September 2023 |date=14 September 2012}} Ritt considered primarily acoustic tracks such as "Sweet" and "Belly Full" to be among the album's highlights, saying that their stripped-back arrangements "unearth a simple truth: these are genuine craftsmen." Writing for The Boston Globe, Scott McLennan singled out album opener "Broken Things" and "The Riff" as highlights, praising the former's "tension-building contrast between desire and darkness" and feeling the latter "wends through fears and hopes and ultimately reveals the breadth of the band’s prowess".{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2012/09/10/review-dave-matthews-band-away-from-world/U1TOygOtHptNXlbSuMogjI/story.html |website=The Boston Globe |title=Dave Matthews Band, 'Away from the World' |last=McLennan |first=Scott |date=11 September 2012 |access-date=27 September 2023}}

Classic Rock praised "Mercy"'s "tender John Martyn soul", while saying "The Riff" "merits its title" and referring to "If Only" as "just lovely".{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/dave-matthews-band-away-from-the-world |website=Louder Sound |title=Dave Matthews Band: Away from the World |last=Roberts |first=Chris |date=17 July 2013 |access-date=27 September 2023}} AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine also gave the album a rating of four stars out of five. Erlewine felt "there's no denying he's the best producer for the band", commending him for "articulating [the band's] elasticity with clarity and reigning in their excesses." He praised the album's diversity, saying it contains "a little of everything that the Dave Matthews Band does, condensed to a relatively tight 53 minutes", and summed it up as "a rare thing: a return to form lacking an ounce of nostalgia".

The album was listed at No. 29 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2012, saying its "political entreaties made for some of 2012's best GOTV rock."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2012-20121205/dave-matthews-band-away-from-the-world-19691231|title=50 Best Albums of 2012|magazine=Rolling Stone}} The Chicago Tribune also included the album in their list of the best releases of the year.{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/cg2-arc-72aeeafa-77b3-5e8f-9047-a1b607390574-20121227-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |title=Sorting Out the Top Albums of 2012 |last=Buckley |first=Michael |date=27 December 2012 |access-date=29 September 2023}}

{{Track listing

|title1 = Broken Things

|writer1 = {{hlist|David J. Matthews|John Alagía}}

|length1 = 3:49

|title2 = Belly Belly Nice

|writer2 = {{hlist|Matthews|Rashawn Ross}}

|length2 = 3:53

|title3 = Mercy

|writer3 = Matthews

|length3 = 4:29

|title4 = Gaucho

|writer4 = {{hlist|Stefan Lessard|Matthews|Tim Reynolds|Ross}}

|length4 = 4:26

|title5 = Sweet

|writer5 = Matthews

|length5 = 4:12

|title6 = The Riff

|writer6 = {{hlist|Matthews|Ross}}

|length6 = 5:36

|title7 = Belly Full

|writer7 = {{hlist|Matthews|Alagía}}

|length7 = 1:44

|title8 = If Only

|writer8 = Matthews

|length8 = 5:38

|title9 = Rooftop

|writer9 = Matthews

|length9 = 4:12

|title10 = Snow Outside

|writer10 = {{hlist|Carter Beauford|Lessard|Matthews|Boyd Tinsley|Jeff Coffin|Reynolds|Ross}}

|length10 = 6:12

|title11 = Drunken Soldier

|writer11 = {{hlist|Beauford|Lessard|Matthews|Tinsley|Coffin|Reynolds|Ross}}

|length11 = 9:48

|total_length = 53:59

}}

Dave Matthews Band

• Carter Beauford – drums, percussion, background vocals
• Stefan Lessard – bass guitar, Rhodes
• Dave Matthews – guitar, piano, lead vocals
• Boyd Tinsley – violin
• Tim Reynolds – electric and acoustic guitars
• Rashawn Ross – trumpet, bass trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards, background vocals
• Jeff Coffin – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, alto flute

Guest musicians

• Roger Smith – Hammond organ {{small|(track 8)}}
• Youth Co-Op Choir – background vocals {{small|(track 4)}}

Production

• Steve Lillywhite – producer, mixing {{small|(tracks 5, 7, 10)}}
• John Alagía – co-producer {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 9)}}, additional recording
• Floyd Reitsma – engineer, mixing {{small|(tracks 5, 7, 10)}}
• Lars Fox – Pro Tools engineer
• Steven Aguilar – assistant engineer
• Michael H. Brauer – mixing
• Ryan Gilligan – mix assistant and Pro Tools engineer
• Justin Armstrong – additional engineering
• Ted Jensen – mastering

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Category:2012 albums

Category:Albums produced by Steve Lillywhite

Category:Dave Matthews Band albums

Category:RCA Records albums