#reviewoftheweek / Trey Anastasio - Paper Wheels

This album has been a long time come, with Trey busy with his day job (Phish) and his side job (playing guitar with the Grateful Dead during their Fair Thee Well concert run). But, despite the album having been percolating for almost a year, it was well worth the wait. It is quite possibly Trey's best solo release, and highlights the best of the sound of the solo career combined with his experience from filling the Jerry Garcia void in the first have of 2015. He hit us with 3 songs early on to hold the fans over ("Bounce," "Speak To Me," and "Never") which are 3 of the best on the album. But the gems are the jammy lead track "Sometime After Sunset," the radio-friendly single "The Song," and the mellow psychedelic groove "Lever Boy." All the tracks are sure to wow during Trey's live set. And the album doesn't sound like a Phish disc, due to the fact that Trey's band has a funky horn section that really rounds out the loose feel-good vibe of the album. Trey just keeps getting better with age and experience, and it all has paid off in the form of one of the year's best recordings.