Rob Drabkin

The first time I saw Rob Drabkin perform, a few years ago, I think I must have worn an expression similar to the one Drabkin is wearing on the cover of his latest album: brow furrowed, one eyebrow cocked, looking a tad annoyed yet curious, thinking, “Man, this dude still sounds a lot like Dave Matthews” — not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. I mean, a lot of people in these parts dig Mr. Matthews, and if you happen to be one of them, well, then you’re sure to enjoy On These Heavy Feet, which finds Drabkin taking a number of tunes that he released previously and fleshing them out with the help of a full band, including some gorgeous string arrangements and fine keyboard work from Eric Moon and sax work from Drabkin’s dad, Harry.