The Other Ones

The Strange Remain

****

The Other Ones are out to prove that they are more than just survivors. Painfully cognizant of the vast Garcia void and the agonizing question of "What's next," the remaining members of the Grateful Dead took a few years before reforming as -The Other Ones-. Along with Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart, Bruce Hornsby (who played over 100 shows with the Dead in the early '90s) and his longtime drummer John Molo, saxman Dave Ellis and guitarists Mark Karan and Steve Kimock joined forces to take the long strange trip just a little -furthur-. First came the tour; now, the album.

Even when looking back, -The Other Ones- find new directions for an ongoing musical conversation that's already spanned four decades. Part of the new deal is who's singing the -Jerry- tunes. With an air of cosmic legitimacy, Lesh steps up to the mic. for the way trippy St. Stephen "Lady Fingers" interlude on the album's first track and then goes on to take the lead vocal on the rarely played Dead classic, -Mountains of the Moon-! This in itself is worth the price of the CD! Of course there's plenty of the jazzy Hornsby too (Sugaree, White-Wheeled Limousine, Rainbow's Cadillac), and also the spiritually exotic Mickey Hart (One the Strange Remain, Baba Jingo). Weir is in fine voice throughout the double album, and the band itself is flawless; at times, even inspired. Dave Ellis on sax shines brightly on this set with it's most distinctive and creative contributions. Whether leading a solo space exploration or sprinkling multi-colored rhythmic sweetener into an already psychedelic musical Kool-Aid, Ellis is a key ingredient. As an ensemble, -The Other Ones- have a vibrant mix of old and new. All things considered, there's nothing too strange about that.

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