AMG Review of Live at World Cafe

James Christopher Monger
All Music Guide

As a possible heir to the throne that holds court over the Dave Matthews Band/Widespread Panic good-times/baseball cap-wearing crowd, Gabe Dixon has been quietly making the slow climb from coffeehouse weekender to full-blown college rock phenomenon for just under ten years. While he's still not above throwing down a version of "Hey Joe," he and his talented band are at the top of their game on the six-track EP Live at World Cafe. Far more Ben Folds than Blues Traveler -- he's toured with Sir Paul McCartney and Loggins & Messina -- Dixon's piano-driven pop is instantly likable, void of pretension, and easy as a keg stand at three in the morning. One listen to the band's electrifying version of 2002's "More Than It Would Seem" from On a Rolling Ball will cause even the most jaded rock snob to reach for the hacky sack.