Trey Anastasio, Trey Anastasio May 2, 2002 - Daily Illini (U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) By Zack Adcock Album Review - Trey Anastasio A definite interest was sparked in the jam band community when word broke last summer that Trey Anastasio's new band would sound like Paul Simon's Graceland band. It doesn't. That Anastasio would venture away from his position as Phish frontman on the band's hiatus with such a seemingly different sound would have been interesting, needless to say. Unfortunately, save a horn section, Anastasio's solo project is little more than Phish's sound disguised by an excessive laundry list of additional musicians. The record features Anastasio collaborating with longtime Phish songwriter Tom Marshall, yielding a set no deeper lyrically than anything in Phish's repertoire. Which is pretty damn shallow. To Anastasio's credit, the songs are more about instrumentation than they are about lyrics, but no one said that opens a forum for ridiculously nonsensical lyrics. Anastasio has the musical creativity to write instrumental songs that will stand on their own. If Anastasio has any lyrical salvation it comes in songs like "Cayman Review," which offers appropriately simple lyrics because it is a blues song. It fights the tendency Anastasio has to make everything conform to Phish's bouncy funk-rock style. "Night Speaks To A Woman" works in a similar fashion, proving Anastasio can be prolific without the Phish baggage. He just isn't for a majority of the album. The song showcases Anastasio's terrific guitar work and provides a break from the blah. "Last Tube," the album's 11 minute, 22 second opus, is a monster song. For those deeply invested in the jam scene, this will hold no disappointment. It is definitely a landmark on par with Anastasio's more lengthy efforts on Phish's debut, Junta, with a maniacal funkiness that separates it from things Anastasio has done in the past. Unfortunately for Anastasio, the few stand-out songs are not enough to save the album from a kind of been there, done that mediocrity. If you like Phish, this is definitely your thing. But Anastasio is such a strong musician, and it's unfortunate he does not take this opportunity to reach farther than he does. This solo debut is just different enough to avoid being another Phish album while at the same time remaining strongly in that specific venue. It's far from horrible, but nothing new.