CHICKENFOOT – III

My guess is that these guys don’t need any introduction as their debut self titled CD went platinum in the States. Not bad in an age of illegal downloading and torrent sites. But now it’s time for Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith to show us that their super group wasn’t just a one time lucky thing. But to be honest, it never occurred to me that would be the case. One of the things that made their debut a success was, apart from them being killer musicians and song writers, that they didn’t give a shit about what anybody apart from themselves would think. They just made an album from their hearts, an album full of music that they love and that they feel proud of. And that shows in their music.

On this album, their second despite what the title says (funny guys, aren’t they?), they have kept doing just that. Again. The sound here isn’t a far cry from the debut, maybe a bit more polished and the same can be said about the songs. It’s hard rock, melodic and catchy, often quite close to the Hagar version of Van Halen with a harder bite, it’s groovy and it swings, only this time we get a couple of more pop oriented songs, again think Van Hagar’s poppier moments. But nothing wrong with that. The guys are skilled players and they have been around so long that they know exactly how to write a pop song without making it cheesy!

The opener ”Last Temptation” is a great, ballsy rocker and it’s followed by another one, ”Alright Alright”, the makes you think of a heavier Stones and they follow those up perfectly with ”Different Devil”, a killer pop-rock tune that really should be a hit and in ”Lighten Up” they put Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones and Van Halen in a blender and just let it rip. In my book, Sammy Hagar has always been one hell of a ballad writer and this album’s ”Come Closer” is no exception. Soft, emotional but no cheese whatsoever. The album’s real sore thumb, in a good way, is ”3 ½ Letters”. Here they put music to letters from homeless and needy people and it is actually really thoughtful. At least, it made me think. ”Big Foot” is the album’s first single and it is a catchy one, really groovy and sounds a lot like the stuff Sammy Hagar does in his solo career. Another cool tune is ”Something’s Going On”, a blues / country style ballad. Maybe not your first choice for a single, but a great track indeed. So with a second killer album under their belt, my guess is that this one’s gonna go the same way their debut did and their tour will be a major success as well. I think it’s a shame that Chickenfoot is just a side project for these guys, when it really should be their main focus.

Jon Wilmenius (8/10)

Track list:

01. Last Temptation
02. Alright, Alright
03. Different Devil
04. Up Next
05. Lighten Up
06. Come Closer
07. Three And A Half Letters
08. Bigfoot
09. Dubai Blues
10. Something Going Wrong