Trey Anastasio - The Horseshoe Curve Review

Trey Anastasio does patience-tested fans proud with this satisfying collection of funk-, jazz- and orchestral-tinged instrumental barnburners performed with the 10-piece band he toured with from 2002 to 2004. After veering into singer/songwriter territory on recent solo efforts, the former Phish frontman reminds us of his flair for ornate big-band arrangements and organic improvisation with two live cuts and six studio outtakes recorded concurrently with sessions for 2004's "Seis de Mayo."...full text Trey Anastasio's The Horseshoe Curve is a collection of cuts taken off the shelf as a stopgap between the guitarist's "real" albums — at release time, Anastasio was in the fourth month of a court-ordered yearlong drug rehab program. It's too bad in a sense, because it's such a dazzling recording, taken from a period between 2002-2004 when he was touring and recording with this woolly mammoth of a band; it's also far above the level of the two recordings he released during that period: Shine (2005) and Bar 17 (2006). A pair of these cuts, "The 5th Round" and the title track, were taken from a live gig in Pittsburgh....full text The release of The Horseshoe Curve comes at a curious time, what with former Phish guitarist/bandleader Trey Anastasio being amidst one of the most challenging phases of his life. Busted for heroin and un-prescribed pills last December, Anastasio finds himself in a probation situation where he’s subject to random drug testing and where one more slip will land him in prison....full text