Trey Anastasio, Trey Anastasio August 15, 2002 - fmSOUND by Jonathan R. Shapiro Album Review - Trey Anastasio When Vermont jam band Phish went on indefinite hiatus over a year ago, it was abundantly clear that guitarist Trey Anastasio was ready to explore some new musical horizons. Anastasio had been the creative force on the last two Phish albums, which made him slightly uncomfortable about the direction of the band. Trey wanted to let Phish rest so he could take his blooming creativity and let it explode into new musical challenges. After a successful project with Primus bassist Les Claypool and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Anastasio gives us his ambitious self-titled debut album. Trey Anastasio is armed with a 17-piece band that successfully takes the guitarist’s ideas and pushes them to a new realm of musical experimentation. The focal point of Anastasio’s band (besides Trey himself) is the rhythm section, consisting of Tony Markellus on bass and Russ Lawton on drums. These two Vermont natives are on point with their groovy, funk induced rhythms. Each song on the album has a steady flow, which was sometimes lacking in Phish’s music. “Alive Again” is a nice tribute to Latin music, with Trey’s always-stellar guitar work taking a backseat to the horn section. Anastasio experiments with a gamut of musical genres on the album, however it is the old-fashioned rock induced tracks that score the highest. “Night Speaks to a Woman” is a good old-fashioned rock tune armed with a catchy chorus as well as stellar back-up vocals by Jennifer Holdsworth (also a member of the bands horn section). Trey Anastasio is a solid debut from the popular Phish guitarist. It is easy to see that Anastasio spent a lot of time arranging this record in order to reach a wider audience. It would be easy for Trey to make a record that he knows would appeal to his adoring fans, however he deserves a lot of respect for taking some creative chances. © 2002 FilmMonthly.com