The third solo album from [wimpLink artistId="222"]Grateful Dead[/wimpLink] lead guitarist [wimpLink artistId="29194901"]Jerry Garcia[/wimpLink] comes as the result of the band's mini-hiatus from touring during late 1974 and most of 1975. Rather than auditioning a new combo, [wimpLink artistId="29194901"]Garcia[/wimpLink] splits [wimpLink albumId="238738022"]Reflections[/wimpLink] evenly between recordings made with [wimpLink artistId="222"]the Dead[/wimpLink] as well as his Legion of Mary and [wimpLink artistId="4564187"]Jerry Garcia Band[/wimpLink] side projects. As with his previous non-[wimpLink artistId="222"]Dead[/wimpLink] effort, Garcia (Compliments of Garcia), this disc includes a blend of originals and cover tunes. Astute Deadheads will inevitably recognize that all four cuts featuring backing by [wimpLink artistId="222"]the Dead[/wimpLink] had been part of their live repertoire for several years. Although only five of the tracks were co-authored by [wimpLink artistId="29194901"]Garcia[/wimpLink]'s primary lyrical collaborator, [wimpLink artistId="3647051"]Robert Hunter[/wimpLink], all eight of them remained in [wimpLink artistId="29194901"]Garcia[/wimpLink]'s solo set lists for the balance of his career. The material on this album is uniformly strong and includes some of the best studio work that [wimpLink artistId="222"]the Dead[/wimpLink] had been involved in since [wimpLink albumId="68711020"]American Beauty[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink albumId="26292320"]Workingman's Dead[/wimpLink]. Their sound is no longer as rurally influenced; instead, they adopt an equally laid-back, jazzy approach. This is perhaps most strikingly evident in the new direction given to "They Love Each Other." Although initially presented as an up-tempo boogie, by contrast it is now a slinky, low-key affair. The retooled version became a staple throughout [wimpLink artistId="222"]the Dead[/wimpLink]'s mid-to-late-'70s live sets, occasionally resurfacing during their waning years. There are more subtle variations on the absolutely stunning and emotive ballads "Comes a Time" and "Must Have Been the Roses" -- which also cropped up underneath the closing credits of the Grateful Dead Movie (1976). The all-star cast that [wimpLink artistId="29194901"]Garcia[/wimpLink] assembled for "Mission in the Rain" -- as well as [wimpLink artistId="15323"]Allen Toussaint[/wimpLink]'s "I'll Take a Melody," [wimpLink artistId="3702020"]Hank Ballard[/wimpLink]'s "Tore up Over You," and the [wimpLink artistId="3601116"]Johnny Russell[/wimpLink] country hit "Catfish John" -- includes [wimpLink artistId="5922088"]John Kahn[/wimpLink] (bass), [wimpLink artistId="7290776"]Ron Tutt[/wimpLink] (drums), [wimpLink artistId="3534550"]Nicky Hopkins[/wimpLink] (keyboards), and [wimpLink artistId="6946502"]Larry Knechtel[/wimpLink] (keyboards). The latter cover tune is also notable, as both [wimpLink artistId="29194901"]Garcia[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="5922088"]Kahn[/wimpLink] had presented it with a full-throttle bluegrass attitude during their time in the short-lived [wimpLink artistId="6285309"]Old & in the Way[/wimpLink] project. With the exception of [wimpLink artistId="6946502"]Knechtel[/wimpLink], the remaining trio continued to perform in [wimpLink artistId="4564187"]the Jerry Garcia Band[/wimpLink] during the mid-'70s. ~ Lindsay Planer