Phish's Trey Anastasio delivers fine solo effort April 28, 2002 - The San Francisco Chronicle by James Sullivan Album Review - Trey Anastasio Reports from the Phish tank have been few and far between since the reigning cult groove band went on hiatus more than a year ago. With the release of front man Trey Anastasio's self-titled solo album, that silence starts to sound a little ominous. Evidently, as creative as Phish could be in concert, something about the almost 20-year-old band was stifling its leader's creative urge. "Trey Anastasio" is certainly the finest studio recording to date from a group of musicians who made its name with live performances, not records. Now flanked by a rangy, expanding lineup of fellow Vermonters, including a feisty four-piece horn section, the singer-guitarist sounds joyfully unencumbered. Which is not to suggest he's simply flying the freak flag of stoner bliss. The instrumental reflection "At the Gazebo" features a subtly ambitious arrangement of horns and strings; another instrumental, "Ray Dawn Balloon," has a similarly evocative, Beatles-esque arrangement. The songs sound less like distinct exercises in genre than they did when Anastasio and his new group first aired them on tour last summer. That's progress. In concert, the tunes were almost compartmentalized -- this one a bubbling Afrobeat jam, that one a noirish raver -- much like Phish's typical MO. Here, they flow with a style-mingling effortlessness that belies the obvious effort the bandleader has put in. It's an all-natural trail mix that could become a steady diet for fans. "The time has come for you to be alive again," Anastasio sings on the lead track and first single, "Alive Again." Though his voice is unassuming almost to the point of apology, there can be no mistaking the message that every Phish fan will read into the line. If this new music makes him feel alive again -- and well it should -- what does that say for the uncertain future of the band what brung him?