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Billy Sheehan By Vinnie Apicella |
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Sheehan's bass-beating
talents are legendary. his past achievements ranking in line with the
best of the best, be it McCartney, Hendrix, Van Halen, he's seen and
done it all. So what does one come to expect from Billy after all this
time, to step out onto his own, does he lean towards the raw, heavy
Rockin' appeal of early '80s greats Talas, or does he opt for the clean-cropped
v-neck approach that was the Mr. Big hit-making machine of a decade
ago? The easy way out would be to assume he does a little of both, and
weighing in at about a 70/30 split however between the two, Sheehan,
soloing in every way imaginable here, cuts to the bone and takes to
a grittier, funkier approach to make for a dynamic yet pure Rock sound.
"Bleed Along The Way" comes away as an opening track should-quick, catchy
and true to having been his nature during his impressive yet swing shift
career, "I'm blazin' a trail as I bleed along the way. but I got to
go." and so he does for one of the album's best cuts. "Oblivion" up
next is where the funkier vibe comes through, somewhat of a pale follow
up but in giving way to "Somethin's Gotta Give," and it's choppy guitar
character, trudging along a roadway of indecision, something of a new
frontier for Sheehan's suddenly heavy breather of a style. "What Once
Was." lightens the load previously inflicted, ballad-like, mellow without
being corny-and for the first and only appearance on "Chameleon," guesting
guitar great Steve Vai does the fret work, immediately felt and almost
hard to believe the two haven't worked together since the last acceptable
DLR record "Skyscraper" some forty thousand years ago. Temper the excitement
just a bit though, it's not the edge of your seat shredder that might
otherwise be expected but stand out from the rest it surely does-again,
it's signature Vai taking charge of a rhythmically stagnant song. My
question is where does Sheehan get the time to do a solo album anyway?
I mean, we're not talking left over eighties' throwaways thrown together
for the sake of doing an album; the material's fresh, current, occasionally
withdrawn, sometimes vibrant-"One Good Reason," great example after
having been lulled a song or two earlier. So amongst all his instrumental
bass work, an ongoing tour playing with G3, the Vai, Satriani, Petrucci
guitar trio, Mr. Big and his own Niacin project now five albums in,
"Compression" seems a fitting title. While Sheehan's solo venture won't
spark many commercial fires or re-ignite the past in any way, it's a
versatile Rock record that showcases Sheehan's talents in a broader
spectrum.
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