Because Ratdog is a band that has been together for many years now, it is no surprise that their debut CD is as good as it is. I can’t imagine any deadhead not loving this disc. It’s seventy-five minutes of all original music with pretty much each song playing into the next like one continuous set. Maybe thirty years with the Grateful Dead was the warm up Bob Weir needed to fully come into his own.

The core of Ratdog remains Bob on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. His main musical partner Rob Wasserman is the bass man. Mark Karen is the lead guitarist, Jay Lane is the drummer and Jeff Chimenti handles the keyboards. There is a wide array of musical guests as well. Familiar names such as Mickey Hart, Matthew Kelly, and Dave Ellis are prominently featured. Several of the songs have a full horn section.

Of the ten songs on the disc the ones that are most familiar are "Corrina" and "Odessa." These are two babes that Ratdog has been singing about for years. In fact "Corrina" is Bob’s link to his days with the Grateful Dead. The other well known cut is "Welcome To The World," a song Bob wrote when his baby daughter Shala Monet was born.

The highlights, and there are many, include the rollicking yet serious "Ashes And Glass." This song has a familiarity to it that may remind some deadheads of "Throwing Stones." Another of the stronger cuts is "Two Djinn." This song is great storytelling set to a haunting melody. But perhaps the best was saved for the end with a mesmerizing tune called "Even So." This is one song that is destined to become a Ratdog classic. It truly is a great song.

The bottom line with this CD is that ten different deadheads could listen to it and each one would have a different favorite song. The best compliment I can give it is that when I see Ratdog in Hartford on November 11th, I’ll be more excited about hearing these new songs than anything out of the Grateful Dead repertoire. This is the best new music I’ve heard all year.

- Bill Harriman

*****dark) stars