meandthestereo

Artist: Chickenfoot
Album: Chickenfoot
Label: Redline Entertainment
Release Date: June 5, 2009
Decision: 4/5 – Good Rock!
Favorite Tunes: “Soap on a Rope”, “My Kinda Girl”, “Oh Yeah”

1. The Background

This is the first album from the “super group” Chickenfoot. The group has been dubbed a super group because all four members have been successful either on their own, or with another group that has garnered accolades from the music industry and fans. Joe Satriani, the guitar virtuoso, fits into the former category and Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith are recognizable names from former mega-bands. At first listen, this album is pretty much what you would expect from a talent-laden foursome like C-Foot. There is a lot of screaming from Hagar and a ton of kick-ass guitar playing from Satriani. Chad Smith provides a very solid back beat and Michael Anthony provides the same unexciting and completely non-innovative bass playing for which he is famous.

2. The Substance

Overall, the album is very well produced. The sound quality is great. Satriani plays a well constructed rhythm guitar when necessary and his lead licks are clean and crisp. He also has some great ‘sounds’…that’s the only way I can describe them. Listen to “Soap on a Rope”. He rips off these little pops in between the big, meaty riff of the song…pure Satriani. Sammy Hagar sounds freakin’ ridiculous! This dude lets loose with some screams that are reminiscent of Roger Daltry! I mean, primal; that’s the label I would put on them. Give a listen to “Oh Yeah”. The scream at the middle and towards the end almost makes your blood curdle! My only jag for Hagar is the lyrics. They are trite and a continuation of his wine, women and song motif. Yawn, heard that lyric before. The drumming on the album is good. I would have enjoyed hearing a little more creativity from Chad Smith, but he did what he was hired to do; keep the beat for Hagar and Satriani. Michael Anthony was back in two aspects: his mediocre bass playing and his strong, extremely high-pitched harmonies on backing vocals. I missed those backing vocals from Anthony. Listen to “Turnin’ Left”. It’s classic Michael Anthony straining the limits of the male vocal range! His bass playing is solid, if not very innovative. His booming bass combined with Smith’s drumming produces a full, solid beat on this recording.

3. The Decision

4/5. If you’re a fan of good, solid, rock-hard, rock music, go out and pick up this album. There were only one or two songs that I didn’t care for; one of them being the obligatory slow ballad. Satriani, Hagar, Anthony and Smith put their egos aside and combined to make some great music. In this case, the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Listen to “Oh Yeah” right here.