Trey Anastasio – Shine

Still Phishing for a hit

Phish had many fortes, but studio albums were not one of them. So it seems only natural that Trey Anastasio’s first post-Phish move would be to try and cut a great album in the classic sense. Indeed, Shine is everything a Phish album was not—straightforward, homogenous and commercial-sounding. It’s actually a good radio-rock disc, just not the crossover hit Anastasio’s been after. It fails to capture the raw energy of his live shows (which are still riveting), while exposing an invariability in the songs that never existed previously. Perhaps he’ll find a new audience with Shine; meanwhile, his loyal fans know he can do better.