Billy Sherwood – Divided By One (Cherry Red Records, 2015)
This studio album by multi-instrumentalist Billy Sherwood is a solo effort in which Sherwood plays all musical instruments and vocals. Although Sherwood is Yes’ current bass player and has been associated with progressive rock in the past, most of his best known work is on the AOR side.
Divided By One delves into themes such as destruction, isolation, and the sense of vulnerability. There is little progressive rock so it will appeal to fans of the AOR/pop side of Sherwood. The most memorable pieces include the opening track, “On Impact,” where Sherwood delivers outstanding guitar work, heavily inspired by Steve Howe. On the other hand the rest of the arrangements and the heavily layered vocals (this technique I used throughout the album) sound like Peter Gabriel’s early solo work.
Another keeper is track 4, “Between Us” where Sherwood goes into Pink Floyd/David Gilmour mode with impressive guitar work.
The last piece, bring Sherwood back closer to progressive rock with a 1980s-era Yes-inspired piece.