pat monahan

Over the course of four studio albums, Train has become nothing if not predictable. Listeners are going to get jangly guitars, mid-tempo beats, occasionally goofy lyrics, and a relatively pleasant overall experience. Their most recent albums have not been anything overly memorable, but they do manage to keep your foot tapping and your mouth humming along. On his first solo album, The Last of Seven, Train frontman Pat Monahan does his best to separate himself from the successful Train formula. He succeeds at times, but overall, this feels like something you have heard before.

If The Last of Seven were not branded as a solo album, most listeners would be inclined to think it was a new Train album. The first few tracks, including lead single "Her Eyes" bounce along nicely and bring to mind past Train songs such as "She's On Fire" or "Get To Me", but it's not until the fourth track, "Someday", with its backing gospel choir that Monahan starts to set his solo work apart from his band. "Ooh My My" is the kind of dirty blues-rock track that Monahan's voice was made for. "Raise Your Hands" features both the aforementioned gospel choir, a synthesizer, and programmed beats that feel slightly out of place on the album, but aptly serve a purpose for Monahan in establishing that this is not a Train album.

As The Last of Seven moves along, Monahan keeps returning to the familiar Train sound, "Always Midnight" would have fit in nicely with the rest of the tracks on Drops of Jupiter, and while the album does not suffer, it doesn't do a whole lot to make itself special. There is a nice duet with Brandi Carlisle, "Pirate On The Run", that seems destined for chick flick soundtrack next summer, but there are few other tracks that will stick with you.

Taken as a whole, The Last Of Seven is slightly disappointing. While "Her Eyes", "Ooh My My", and "Pirate On The Run" feel like keepers, the rest of the album is at times boring and is planted firmly in the middle of the road. Last Of Seven is never flat out bad and the best songs do show the potential that lies within, but that vision is never fully realized and ultimately, I was left unmoved.

Train frontman Pat Monahan will hit the road this fall on his first solo tour. The trek comes in support of his solo debut, "Last of Seven," due Sept. 18 via Columbia. Dates begin Oct. 4 in Phoenix.

Also included in the itinerary are appearances on "The Today Show" (Sept. 14), "The Tonight Show" (Oct. 2), "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "The Late Show With Craig Ferguson" (Oct. 4) and the "CBS Early show" (Nov. 3).

As previously reported, "Last of Seven" finds Monahan collaborating with such artists as Brandi Carlile ("Pirate on the Run"), Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora ("Someday") and Graham Nash ("Cowboys and Indians").

"I'm a soul singer in a way that I'm projecting more on this record than on any other," Monahan told Billboard.com, adding that as soon as he started writing this particular batch of songs, he "realized I wasn't writing a Train record."

Here are Pat Monahan's tour dates:


Oct. 4: Phoenix (Marquee)
Oct. 5: Las Vegas (the Joint)
Oct. 6: Los Angeles (House of Blues
Oct. 7: San Diego (House of Blues)
Oct. 8-9: San Francisco (Fillmore)
Oct. 10: Reno, Nev. (Grand Sierra Resort)
Oct. 12: Portland, Ore. (Crystal Ballroom)
Oct. 13: Seattle (Showbox)
Oct. 16: Denver (Ogden Theatre)
Oct. 18: Kansas City, Mo. (Voodoo at Harrah's)
Oct. 19: Indianapolis (Vogue)
Oct. 20: Cleveland (House of Blues)
Oct. 22: Minneapolis (First Avenue)
Oct. 24: St. Louis (Pageant)
Oct. 26: Chicago (House of Blues)
Oct. 27: Detroit (Royal Oak Music Theatre)
Oct. 28: Cincinnati (Madison Theatre)
Oct. 30: Philadelphia (Fillmore)
Nov. 1: New York (Webster Hall)
Nov. 2: Boston (Paradise Theatre)
Nov. 3: Falls Church, Va. (State Theatre)
Nov. 4: Norfolk, Va. (NorVa)
Nov. 6: Asheville, N.C. (Orange Peel)
Nov. 7: Charlotte, N.C. (Amos' Southend)
Nov. 8: Atlanta (Variety Playhouse)
Nov. 9: Nashville (City Hall)
Nov. 12: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (TBA)
Nov. 13: Tampa, Fla. (Jannus Landing)
Nov. 14: Orlando, Fla. (Hard Rock Live)
Nov. 16: Austin, Texas (La Zona Rosa)
Nov. 17: Houston (Meridian)
Nov. 18: Dallas (House of Blues)Train vocalist Pat Monahan will perform at Pabst Theater, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, October 23rd, at 8pm.

Momentarily stepping away from his main band, Train frontman Pat Monahan has wrapped work on his solo debut with producer Patrick Leonard. "Last of Seven" is due Sept. 18 via Columbia. First single "Her Eyes," written by Monahan along with Leonard and John Shanks, is an uptempo number inspired by Monahan's girlfriend and daughter.

"I'm a soul singer in a way that I'm projecting more on this record than on any other," Monahan tells Billboard.com, adding that as soon as he started writing this particular batch of songs, he "realized I wasn't writing a Train record." The album also features a guest turn from labelmate Brandi Carlile and Train guitarist Jimmy Stafford on "Pirate on the Run."

"Her Eyes" is set to hit radio shortly, and Monahan feels it's a song "people are going to be really drawn to." As for whether people will instantly recognize the song as a departure from Train's sound, Monahan notes, "It's hard for me to say because I'm the singer of both projects."

Elsewhere on the album, the choir-backed "Some Day" speculates about the afterlife, similar to the Train hit "Drops of Jupiter" while "Great Escape," co-written by James Bourne, is "moody" with a European vibe. Monahan says a brief tour is tentatively scheduled for the beginning of October, with a full-blown trek in the works after the holiday season.

He adds that Train is only on a temporary hiatus in order for Monahan to pursue the solo path, although there is no set timetable for the group's next album. Train's last effort, 2006's "For Me, It's You," peaked at No. 10 on The Billboard 200.

As far as releasing future solo albums, Monahan says it all depends on what happens with "Last of Seven." "Success in anything just simply buys you the opportunity to work more," he says. "With this project, if the demand is there to continue for me to do this, then absolutely."
He is the lead singer and songwriter for the Grammy award winning band Train. He also plays percussion and saxophone.

He announced on June 25, 2007 that his first album, Last of Seven, will be released on September 18, 2007. His first solo single, Her Eyes, started playing on radio stations in July. Since July 6, 2007, the song has been playing in rotation on the Sirius radio station, The Pulse and on XM Satellite Radio's "Flight 26".

On July 21, 2007 Pat married for the second time. On August 5, 2007 Monahan perfomed the American National Anthem at the NFL Hall Of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.