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Trey
Anastasio, the former front man and lead guitarist of the band
Phish, is
back at it again with a new disc. Since Phish put its act on hiatus in September
of 2000, Anastasio has been very busy working with the Vermont Youth Orchestra
on classical pieces, teaming up with Les Claypool of Primus fame and Stewart
Copeland of the Police fame to churn out an Oysterhead cd and tour, and now he’s
back at it with his solo touring act.
Back in 1999, with Phish on a few
weeks break, Trey teamed up with bassist Tony Markellis and drummer Russ Lawton
for a mini-tour of spring shows. This collaboration resulted in a few new songs
at that time which ended up being standard Phish staples, such as First Tube,
Gotta, Jiboo and Sand. Fast-forward to fall of 2000 and Trey called upon his two
buddies to hit the road again, only this time also incorporating a horn section.
added to the lineup were Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet, Andy Moroz on trombone
and Dave “the truth” Grippo on alto sax. Fast-forward once again to present day
and the band has expanded yet again to further include keyboardist Ray Paczkowsi, tenor saxophonist,
Russell Remington, and percussionist, Cyro Baptista rounding out the lineup for this new release.
Rhe disc starts
off with a flourish of great tunes. ‘Alive Again’, the first track and the
first single being shipped out to radio stations, starts it off at a nice brisk
pace with a hint of latin/calypso flavor. ‘Cayman Review’ is great fun with so
much energy and could be the breakthrough single if it is released to the radio,
as it is very radio-friendly. A seven and a half minute version of ‘Push On
‘Til The Day’ shows off a bit of jamming, but nothing too extreme while ‘Night
Speaks To A Woman’ shows off a bit of their funk/soul side. For fans of the jam,
‘Last Tube’ is a real gem and may be worth the price of this disc alone. It is
an absolute monster and a circus to the ears. Aside from this 11+ minute
version, the jamming that trey is known for is held in check. Most tracks
contain soulful sounding background singers and horn sections galore.
That’s the good news. As for the rest of the disc, it plays out pretty
unevenly. I'm not saying any song in particular is bad. There is just nothing
that really jumps out at you that makes you want to go back and listen
extensively or hear it in a live setting. Basically half the disc plays well,
while the rest drops off a bit.
The cd also includes special appearances
from noted jazz trumpeter Nicholas Payton and former morphine saxophonist Dana
Colley. a string quartet and a full orchestra also enhance several tracks.
Fans
of a jazzed up Phish sound will nevertheless enjoy this disc very much as the
horns add an entirely new dimension of sound next to the familiar Trey guitar
riffs.
Overall, I give the album 2.5 out of 5 Planets.
Track Listing:
01. Alive Again
02. Cayman Review
03. Push On 'Til The Day
04. Night Speaks To A Woman
05. Flock Of Words
06. Money, Love And Change
07. Drifting
08. At The Gazebo
09. Mr. Completely
10. Ray Dawn Balloon
11. Last Tube
12. Ether Sunday
Shamples Rating: 2.5 out of 5
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