Phil Lesh Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Phil Lesh & Friends' Live at the Warfield (recorded May 18 and 19, 2006) follows a carload of live recordings issued on the Instant Live label a month previously. On these dates, the band consisted of Lesh on bass and vocals, the divine Ms. Joan Osborne on vocals, guitarists Larry Campbell and John Scofield, saxophonist Greg Osby, drummer John Molo, and Rob Barraco on keyboards and vocals. The program is Grateful Dead material (what else?) and the performance is stellar. (One interesting and necessary side note: the brief elegy Lesh offers for Ramrod, the then recently deceased equipment manager for the Dead, is deeply moving and beautiful.) Osborne is the perfect vocalist for this troupe; she is soulful and adds a degree of funkiness to the proceedings -- especially on the more R&B and jazz-oriented material like "Shakedown Street" and "Turn on Your Love Light." (If only she'd find a producer who could bring out this voice on a studio recording. Perhaps this should be her backing band next time out!) Mostly, the backing vocals add nothing, and could have been left out of the arrangements altogether (the two exceptions are "Cosmic Charlie" and "I Know You Rider"). Other than this small complaint -- it is live, after all -- this band is rehearsed, tight, and focused. Scofield and Campbell work well together, complementing each other's fills and grooves seamlessly. On the jam material like the "Dark Star" and "The Other One" medley, "The Wheel," and "Scarlet Begonias," the rhythm section is unshakable inside the grand improvisation that takes place. Fans of the Dead will no doubt embrace this, especially since the package is available in a couple of different ways -- the shows are included in a special DVD package, but this one contains two discs of music and a bonus DVD that features a conversation with Lesh, Scofield, and Osby; a jazz instrumental jam with Osby, Lesh, Scofield, and Molo; and two other cuts, full-band performances of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and Lesh's "Passenger." ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'There and Back Again'
Release Date 5/21/2002
Tracks 11
Label Columbia
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What The Critics Say
After releasing Love Will See You Through, a live album featuring one-time guests like Jorma Kaukonen, Phil Lesh organized a permanent touring and recording band under the moniker "Phil Lesh & Friends." This quintet, with an instrumentation that replicated the Grateful Dead's except for the inclusion of only one drummer, featured former Allman Brothers Band guitarists Warren Haynes and Jimmy Herring, former Zen Tricksters keyboardist Rob Barraco, and former Bruce Hornsby & the Range drummer John Molo. There and Back Again is this unit's first studio album and, not surprisingly, it sounds like a cross between the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers Band. Lesh has made one other crucial connection, bringing in Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter to write the words for six of the 11 songs. (One of them is "Liberty," a Jerry Garcia co-composition the Grateful Dead performed toward the end.) Hunter has a distinctive, wordy writing style, full of allusions, aphorisms, and wordplay that will be familiar to any Deadhead. The leadoff track, "Celebration," with music by Lesh, is very much the product of the team who wrote the Grateful Dead's "Box of Rain"; it is a statement of purpose, proclaiming a recommitment to a positive viewpoint despite "stolen elections, corruption, and hate." Haynes, who does most of the singing (though Lesh and Barraco get leads, too), was a careful student of Gregg Allman's throaty style, and his stinging slide guitar work recalls Duane Allman. For the most part, the band keeps their natural tendency to jam in check, placing emphasis on the well-written songs. The tracks run four to six minutes each and usually fade out with the band still playing, so this material no doubt stretches out in concert. The result is a surprisingly well-organized and accessible collection that is the best album yet made by a Grateful Dead spin-off band. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Love Will See You Through'
Release Date 10/26/1999
Tracks 14
Label Arista
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Phil Lesh's first solo album, Love Will See You Through, is a double-disc set of live performances culled from a series of Phil Lesh and Friends concerts Lesh gave after successfully completing liver transplant surgery in late 1998. Lesh used these shows to get back to speed, so he surrounded himself with friendly musicians -- including Jorma Kaukonen, Prairie Prince, Zoe Ellis, Steve Kimock, and Pete Sears -- and concentrated on songs the Grateful Dead routinely played in concert, along with some tunes associated with Kaukonen. The songs and the styles are familiar, but that's part of the charm -- listening to this music is like reuniting with old friends, fully aware of their conversational rhythms and quirks. If you're not in the mood, it can be a little irritating, but in the right frame of mind, it's a breezy, enjoyable experience to hear the old tunes played in the classic fashion. Even if it is Lesh's first solo album, Love Will See You Through isn't a major release in the post-Dead canon, but it certainly proves that Lesh has returned to full strength, and Deadheads will no doubt embrace this endearingly low-key music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
