Billy Sheehan

BILLY SHEEHAN
Cosmic Troubadour
Producer: Pat Reagan
Favored Nations FN2460
Release Date : Feb. 22

Billy Sheehan reassumes the frontman position for his second solo project, "Cosmic Troubadour," singing and playing guitar in addition to his usual bass acrobatics. Out of 15 songs, he reserves his vocals for six of them; the rest are meandering instrumentals that take deft, stylish turns. "Cosmic" shows growth and more variety than Sheehan's last solo outing, "Compression." Its rock foundation branches into several corridors. "A Million Tears Ago and "A Tower in the Sky" are similar to Rush during that band's protracted jams. "Long Walk Home" is an irresistible, snappy jazz stroll, while "Don't Look Down" is a more frenetic example of that genre. "Dreams of Discontent' sounds like an amped-up Hoobastank doing "Crawling in the Dark." But don't mistake such comparisons for Sheehan being an imitator. He clearly grooves in his own vein. - CLT

Billy Sheehan--Cosmic Troubadour, (Favored Nations) - The former Mr. Big member emerges with his second solo album. Highlights include the prog-rock perfection of "Toss It On The Flame" and Sheehan's signature bass lines on "The Suspense Is Killing Me"

Sheehans songwriting is stronger than one might image. He breaks out of the hes just the bass player mold and shows he is more than just a pretty face. Billy is a multi-dimensional musician with many hidden talents. It is nice to see him take center stage for a change.

"Sheehan's love of all forms of music colors the album's eclectic grooves, creating a multi-dimensional record that suggests an inspired feeling of spontaneity over calculation, making it a collection of songs worthy of repeated listening."

One of rocks most innovative bass guitarists is set to release a new record that will again shatter the public's perception of an instrumental artists music. As with his previous release, Billy Sheehan once again proves he's more than just a world-renowned bass player; he is a creative writer, arranger, singer, and guitar player to boot, covering all of those departments with ease.

(David Utorka)

Billy Sheehan impresses yet again with his latest bass-driven voyage, "Cosmic Troubadour."

"Bearing the stamp of a musician at the top of his game, the wily eclecticism that permeates the grooves rewards the listeners with repeated spins."

"Imaginative and colorful... more evidence that Billy Sheehan is a huge talent that deserves household recognition."

"Billy can (and should) play whatever his fingers can express. The rest of us will shut up, except for any 'oohs' and 'aahs' that might escape our lips in the process."

"Sheehan continues his pursuit of innovative yet accessible melodies and arrangements."

"Billy Sheehan once again proves he's more than just a world-renowned bass player; he's a creative writer, arranger, singer and guitar player to boot, covering all of those departments with ease."

"[Billy Sheehan] is a master at making his bass sing like an operatic low-rider guitar... 'Cosmic Troubadour' is a wayward journey to another plane."

Billy Sheehan - "Cosmic Troubadour" CD
Reviewer: Michael Popke/Sea of Tranquility
February 9th 2005
Score: 4 stars

Known more for his thundering bass-playing ability than for his vocal talents, Billy Sheehan nevertheless shows off both on his second solo album, Cosmic Troubadour. Once you get used to Sheehan's slightly thin yet rather mesmerizing voice on a half-dozen of the 15 songs here, this album becomes a more enjoyable listening experience. The sound of "Back in the Day" hearkens to the era it evokes, as does "The Lift" - especially its New Wave intro - and "Toss It On the Flame" borders on blues-metal. The tunes with vocals are strategically placed between and around the instrumentals, giving Cosmic Troubadour more of a traditional album vibe.

As expected, those instrumentals shine, from the pulsating darkness of "The Suspense Is Killing Me" to the gurgling electronics of "Dreams of Discontent" to the bass-heavy jazz inflections of "Don't Look Down" and "Long Walk Home" to the King Crimson-meets-Rush polyrhythms of bonus track "A Million Tears Ago." Through it all, Sheehan (playing all instruments save drums) continues his pursuit of innovative yet accessible melodies and arrangements. He never comes across as bored, and thanks to his flirting with electronic programming and his refusal to never stop moving musically, he actually sounds relevant. Cosmic troubadour, indeed.

CD, DVD and Tour News!
Purchase the new Steve Vai album and the "Live In London" DVD

Billy Sheehan will be on tour with Steve Vai promoting his new album Cosmic Troubadour and Steve Vai's new album "Real Illusions: Reflections" which Billy also performs on


		Tour Dates! Billy Sheehan on tour with Steve Vai

DATE	CITY/STATE	VENUE
Tue 3/1	Phoenix, AZ	Marquee Theatre
Wed 3/2	Albuquerque, NM	Sunshine Theatre
Fri 3/4	Houston, TX	Verizon Wireless Theatre
Sat 3/5	Dallas, TX	Granada Theatre
Sun 3/6	Austin, TX	Antone's
Tue 3/8	Memphis, TN	New Daisy Theatre
Wed 3/9	Nashville, TN	The Cannery
Thu 3/10	Birmingham, AL	Boutwell Auditorium
Fri 3/11	New Orleans, LA	House of Blues
Mon 3/14	Tampa, FL	Tampa Theatre
Tue 3/15	Miami, FL	Julius Littman PAC
Wed 3/16	Orlando, FL	House of Blues
Thu 3/17	Jacksonville, FL	Freebird Live
Fri 3/18	Myrtle Beach, SC	House of Blues
Sat 3/19	Atlanta, GA	The Roxy
Sun 3/20	Asheville, NC	The Orange Peel
Tue 3/22	Winston Salem, NC	Ziggy's
Wed 3/23	Alexandria, VA	Birchmere
Thu 3/24	Baltimore, MD	Rams Head Live
Fri 3/25	Hartford, CT	Webster Theatre
Sat 3/26	New York, NY	Town Hall (8pm Show)
Sat 3/26	New York, NY	Town Hall (11pm Show)
Mon 3/28	Philadelphia, PA	The Trocadero Theatre
Tue 3/29	Westbury, NY	Westbury Music Fair
Wed 3/30	Sayreville, NJ	Starland Ballroom
Thu 3/31	Boston, MA	Avalon Ballroom
Fri 4/1	Montreal, QC	Metropolis
Sat 4/2	Toronto, ONT	Massey Hall
Mon 4/4	Buffalo, NY	Univ. Buffalo Center for Arts
Tue 4/5	Pittsburgh, PA	Rex Theatr
Wed 4/6	Cleveland, OH	House of Blues
Thu 4/7	Columbus, OH	Newport Music Hall
Fri 4/8	Detroit, MI	State Theatre
Sat 4/9	Cincinnati, OH	Bogart's
Sun 4/10	St. Louis, MO	The Pageant
Tue 4/12	Milwaukee, WI	The Eagles Club
Wed 4/13	Chicago, IL	House of Blues
Thu 4/14	To Be Announced	To Be Announced
Fri 4/15	St. Paul, MN	Fitzgerald Theatre
Sat 4/16	Fargo, ND	Fargo Theatre
Sun 4/17	Lincoln, NE	Royal Grove
Tue 4/19	Boulder, CO	Fox Theatre
Wed 4/20	Salt Lake City, UT	The Venue (formerly Brick's Club)
Thu 4/21	Boise, ID	The Big Easy
Fri 4/22	Seattle, WA	Showbox
Sat 4/23	Vancouver, BC	Commodore Ballroom
Sun 4/24	Portland, OR	Roseland Theatre
Tue 4/26	San Francisco, CA	The Fillmore
Wed 4/27	Anaheim, CA	The Grove
Thu 4/28	Las Vegas, NV	House of Blues
Fri 4/29	San Diego, CA	4th and B
Sat 4/30	Los Angeles, CA	Wiltern Theatre

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