Much like Jerry Garcia did with the Grateful Dead, Phish frontman Trey Anastasio occasionally breaks free from his day job and cuts loose in solo efforts with ever-changing backing musicians.
"TAB at the TAB" captures Anastasio live with three original members of the Trey Anastasio Band and a new horn section. Again, like Garcia, Anastasio's solo efforts have a sound familiar to Phish - he is the group's lead singer and guitarist, after all - but the addition of horns and two female vocalists, including 18-year-old Natalie Cressman on her first national tour, provide new layers of sound.
"TAB at the TAB," which was recorded Feb. 27 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, includes songs that are a part of Anastasio's repertoire and a newly penned original, "Alaska," also played by Phish, which plays three shows at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall next month. Here, it gets a dramatic reworking thanks to the horn section.
Phish fans will find plenty to enjoy in this concise and well thought-out release.
Check this track out: "Black Dog," the Led Zeppelin tune about lusting after a woman's love, gets turned upside down with Anastasio's band turning over lead vocals to female vocalist Jennifer Hartswick. It still rocks, though.
Scott Bauer, Associated Press
'TAB
at the TAB'
Trey
Anastasio Band
(Rubber Jungle Records)
