CD Review

When Trey Anastasio closed the door on Phish last year, he managed to swiftly eliminate the “side-project” and “solo effort” titles from his ever-changing resume. From here on out, whatever he chooses to delve into, there is no confusion - the ex-Phish guitarist can claim it’s his primary focus. And with step one, his first solo release since the break up, and subsequent first release on the Columbia label, it seems his initial focus is losing that ex-Phish guitarist title as well. Granted, the world of Adult Top 40 may include Jaguar ads and Starbucks compilations, but you can’t rock ‘n roll forever.

Produced by Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen), Anastasio’s Shine is an uptempo, Dave Matthews-esque jaunt through uplifting lyrics and a lot of love songs. We’re treated to a couple straight rockers, in “Come As Melody” and “Air Said To Me,” but most cuts are so bubbly and clean they’re borderline sterile. The title track is an easy favorite for radio and “Spin” could be a theme song for the Recovery Network, while “Tuesday” is pure Sorority happy hour mix tape material. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, we’re trying to shed a few thousand hippies remember.

In comparison to other rocker turned mainstream gems, Shine is a good stepping stone. It’s not a Grammy winner, but there’s quite a foundation here for someone with little experience in the field. Anastasio flexes his strength in simplicity with “Wherever You Find It” and the acoustic-laden “Love That Breaks All Lines” - two of the finer songs he’s written. “Love is Freedom” utilizes that slow build up and crescendo he still seems to adore, and “Invisible” is treated to a touch of organic pop. But ironically, the highlight of the album is the most un-pop of them all - the dark and harrowing “Black,” with a haunting refrain trailing off in a Clapton-heavy outro. A full album of these and he'd be right back where he started.