CHICKENFOOT - review added 2nd November 2011
Album Review: III (2011)
For fans of: Hard Rock
Just to be confusing, Chickenfoot's new album "III" is actually their second album. Apparently (according to the guys themselves) it's enough of an advancement over their self-titled debut that calling it "II" just wouldn't have been enough. Kind of reminds me of Naked Gun 33⅓.
So is this new album that much better than the debut? I'm not convinced it's THAT much better, but it's definitely a step upwards. Some of the songs here are instant classics, and there certainly isn't a duffer on the album - there's a song I hate, but it's not a duffer. We'll get onto that in a minute.
Performance wise it's what you'd expect. Joe Satriani, Chad Smith, Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar are up there with the best of the best players in the world. Always have been, always will be. How Sammy still sounds this good in his mid 60s I have no idea. It's obscene. He should be sent to NASA for tests or something.
Of the songs, 'Different Devil' is stunningly stunning and deserves to be on every iPod across the globe. 'Three and a Half Letters' tells a great story but it irritates the hell out of me from a listening perspective. The remaining tracks gel into something that should serve as a lesson in song craft to all younger bands out there.
In Summation:
Like the first album this works best as a whole rather than individual tracks, but it does have at least one song that will blow your mind. Another fine release from the world's finest supergroup. Oh, and the 3D cover and booklet is utterly amazing!
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Track List:
01. Last Temptation
02. Alright
03. Different Devil
04. Up Next
05. Lighten Up
06. Come Closer
07. Three and a Half Letters
08. Big Foot
09. Dubai Blues
10. Something Gone Wrong
Band/Performers:
Joe Satriani
Chad Smith
Michael Anthony
Sammy Hagar
Other Info:
Produced by Mike Fraser
Label: earMusic
Artist's website(s): Chickenfoot | MySpace | Facebook
