Imitating an artist’s style may not be the purest path to success, but in Elmwood’s case they do it and they do it well. So well in fact, it’s hard to imagine most listeners will care.

Elmwood, hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, is as close to a Dave Matthews cover band as you can get. The emulation is so strong in fact, that it is difficult at times to tell the two artists apart. Don’t believe me? Listen to Dave Matthew’s “Satellite,” and then give a listen to the Elmwood’s “Dreaming Little Things.”

However, there is an important point to be made here- emulating one of the highest paid artists alive isn’t necessarily a bad thing, particularly if you are doing it so successfully. Matthews doesn’t seem to mind considering he let Elmwood play his side stage earlier this summer.

“Dreaming Little Things,” the group’s debut effort, is a solid album from start to finish. The production is top-notch, which is absolutely essential for a group that relies so heavily on capturing their jam-band sound. The horn section doesn’t overtake the rest of the band, a common problem for peers in the genre.

All too often, artists who tag Dave Matthews as an influence are merely watered down versions of the original, unable to live up to the hooks and lyricism their sound promotes. This is a pitfall Elmwood avoids, and succeeds at doing so with flying colors. Their refrains are, dare I say, just as infectious and poignant as the average Matthew’s track.

Elmwood as a group is talented, but the gem of the band is saxophonist, Derek Haight. Sax is a prominent part of Elmwood, as it comprises one fourth of the bands musicians. The riffs are creative, and serve to compliment the group rather than to dominate it. The result is a much softer and smoother sound than others of the same style.

Lead vocalist Rusty Kelly may be the band’s lone sonic distinction from Dave Matthews; his voice has a softer more fluid sound than that of Matthews and Kelly fluxes in and out of his falsetto far less often. However, Kelly’s propensity to accentuate certain lines with a growly tone, and his tendency to wear a flannel button-up and strap his guitar high on his chest certainly doesn’t help separate the group from their influence.

What Elmwood lacks in originality, they make up for in song writing ability. While they may push the threshold between cover band, and original act, no one is going to care so long as they keep releasing songs like the ones found on “Dreaming Little Things”

Elmwood’s “Dreaming Little Things” is available on iTunes.

Key Tracks: “What’s it For?,” “Dreaming Little Things,” ”V.R.N.I.”