Here’s another edition of the Magna Carta “Prime Cuts” series. This time featuring bassist extraordinaire Billy Sheehan. The tracks were culled from various projects Billy’s been involved with while on the label including 4 tracks from the monster fusion band Niacin. This to my ears is the highlight of Prime Cuts. It’s also a perfect place to start if you’re not familiar with Billy’s recent work.
Other tracks include "Crack The Meter" with Jordan Rudess and a brilliant faithful cover of "The Trees" by Rush, which features drummer Mike Portnoy. There’s a few “New Age” inspired pieces and a bootleg recording of a bass solo from the audience with hand held microphone.
As I sated before, Prime Cuts is a nice introduction to the work of Billy Sheehan. Once you hear the songs, I’m sure you’ll seek out the full albums in no time. Oh and the bonus cd-rom interview is very insightful. You get to learn more about the man and his inspirations for being a musician. After watching the interview I have a better understanding for him and his music. This will be a nice welcome addition to any rock, prog or jazz-fusion fan’s collection. Check out Billy’s page over at MySpace.com for full length songs.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on August 8th, 2006
