Cosmic Troubadour

When I think of the world’s best rock bass players, Billy Sheehan is one of the top 5 names to immediately come to my mind. He is one of the best, if not the best, bassists to have ever played. Billy has been called the ‘Eddie Van Halen’ of bass, but since the first really great guitarist that he has played with was Steve Vai, I often refer to him as the bass world’s equivalent of Vai. Having played with Talas, Mr. Big, Niacin, David Lee Roth & Steve Vai, Sheehan has come to be known as a real road warrior & a great musician. His second solo album Cosmic Troubadour was released in 2005 and last night and today, I was able to get a copy through an online friend of mine in Florida. Songs from the cd might be strange for the casual listener as, unlike in normal rock songs, the guitar is in the background and the bass is in the soloist (shredder) spotlight and in your face.

Toss It In The Flame starts things off with Billy singing, something he rarely does. Although he isn’t bad, the vocals pale in comparison to the man’s bass playing abilities. That being said, its a good song. Back In The Day follows; sounding a semi-Neo-Classical and traces of Dream Theatre influences. The title of the album is taken from a line in this song. The Suspense Is Killing Me comes at you with the intensity of a high speed train running off the tracks and sounding like it could belong at home in a James Bond movie soundtrack. From The Back Seat is a look at the world from a different perspective.

Don’t Look Down starts all mellow and then speeds up, with jazz tastes in the beginning. Something She Said is one of the best tracks on the cd. Up comes Dreams Of Discontent with its sci-fi soundtrack feel, definitely the album highlight along with Suspense…. Dig A Hole, Taj, The Lift, Long Walk Home, Tower In The Sky & Indisputable Truth follow.

Hope is the only ballad on the album and is one of the best instrumentals I have heard. Finally the bonus track A Million Tears Ago completes the album which showcases Billy’s indisputable talent and reputation as one of the best musicians to have come out with material during the last 20 years or more. I have had the chance to correspond with Billy via email, a couple of years ago and he is as down to earth as he is talented. For those who thought the bass can’t star in a rock album – take a listen!