Published on Mar 7, 2000
Billy Sheehan will always have an albatross around his neck –
namely, that of being a rock bass god. After all, he’s gained his
reputation performing with Talas, David Lee Roth and Mr. Big, and
he’s still one of the most respected bassists in the world today.
Yeah, I know – what a curse, eh?
But the difficulty is that everyone will expect Sheehan to
continue to perform in those veins, and they might be surprised to
find that he’s just as interested in a progressive jazz vein as he
proves on
Deep, the latest release from Niacin. Why some people would
be surprised I don’t know; this is the third stateside release in
four years from the trio of Sheehan, organist John Novello and
drummer Dennis Chambers. (A live album was released in Japan.)
Oh, make no mistake; Sheehan is given plenty of room to show off
why he is revered on the four-stringer. “Sugar Blues” gives each
musician a chance to demonstrate the flash that they have, and none
of them disappoint. If I still played drums, I’d probably dropkick
them into the wall after hearing what Chambers can do behind the
traps.
Novello does an admirable job of using the Hammond B-3 to take
the place of a singer as the lead in Niacin – but after a while,
you can’t help but wish for additional instrumentation at times.
Tracks like “Stompin’ Ground” and “Panic Button” all eventually
become a flow of music that is hard to distinguish from other
tracks. Not that these are bad; but one would expect there to be a
little more freshness among some of the music.
Then again, the introduction of vocals and guitar on the track
“Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be” is a bit disheartening. Steve
Lukather doesn’t really shine the way that I know he’s capable of,
and Glenn Hughes doesn’t sound like he’s the perfect fit for this
kind of music.
This isn’t to say that
Deep is without its moments. Tracks like “Swing Swang
Swung,” “Best Laid Plans” and “Sugar Blues” all show why this kind
of music is still as exciting as anything loaded with technological
gadgets and synthesized everything. And the more funk-jazz spin on
Van Halen’s “Mean Streets” is a nice, albeit surprising, touch.
If you go into
Deep expecting a hard rock showdown that Sheehan is known
for, you’re gonna be disappointed. However, if you go into this
expecting to hear not only Sheehan’s incredible bass work without
boundaries, but also solid performances from his other bandmates,
chances are you’ll enjoy, for the most part, the ride that Niacin
takes you on.