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over eighties' throwaways thrown together for the sake of doing an album; the material's fresh, current, occasionally withdrawn, sometimes vibrant-"One Good Reason," great example after having been lulled a song or two earlier.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.

Released by Favored Nations Records

Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu]
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