Chickenfoot [Digipak]

Performer: Chickenfoot
Producer: Chickenfoot; Andy Johns
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Chickenfoot: Sammy Hagar (vocals); Joe Satriani (guitar); Michael Anthony (bass guitar); Chad Smith (drums). Audio Mixer: Mike Fraser. In true old-school "supergroup" fashion, Chickenfoot is a hard-rock dream team. Composed of vocalist Sammy Hagar (Montrose, Van Halen), bassist Michael Anthony (Van Halen), drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, the combo grew out of a few impromptu jams, but the combination was judged strong enough to record an album and go on tour. The resulting disc is a full-throttle, unapologetic rock record, brimming with the same party attitude and sense of fun that made Van Halen so legendary. From the "Boris the Spider"-esque locomotive descending riff and manic screams that drive "Oh Yeah" to the screaming guitar solos and pounding drums of "Get it Up," these songs showcase veteran musicians having the time of their lives, playing the type of music they know and love best. Supergroups are often motley groups seemingly formed at the end of an after-concert party but few are quite as strange as Chickenfoot, an endeavor featuring Van Halen's Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, guitar legend Joe Satriani, and drummer Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. These four musicians are tied together by their many years playing in the arena rock trenches, a circuit that doesn't necessarily yield common musical ground although it does lend its veterans a certain knack for pleasing crowds. This eagerness is evident on the band's eponymous 2009 debut, which should come as no surprise seeing that Sammy Hagar has never seen a party he couldn't rock, but this mentality doesn't quite jibe with Satriani's immaculate, tightly controlled playing. Satch always seems to want to burst out but can't help leaning on precision, a problem that's the polar opposite to Hagar's let-it-all-hang-out philosophy, and this dichotomy is mirrored in the rhythm section, where Anthony's chugging bass doesn't quite fill the gaps Smith leaves. All this means is that Chickenfoot's big picture is roughly in place but the pieces don't quite fit. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Supergroups are often motley groups seemingly formed at the end of an after-concert party but few are quite as strange as Chickenfoot, an endeavor featuring Van Halen's Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, guitar legend Joe Satriani, and drummer Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. These four musicians are tied together by their many years playing in the arena rock trenches, a circuit that doesn't necessarily yield common musical ground although it does lend its veterans a certain knack for pleasing crowds. This eagerness is evident on the band's eponymous 2009 debut, which should come as no surprise seeing that Sammy Hagar has never seen a party he couldn't rock, but this mentality doesn't quite jibe with Satriani's immaculate, tightly controlled playing. Satch always seems to want to burst out but can't help leaning on precision, a problem that's the polar opposite to Hagar's let-it-all-hang-out philosophy, and this dichotomy is mirrored in the rhythm section, where Anthony's chugging bass doesn't quite fill the gaps Smith leaves. All this means is that Chickenfoot's big picture is roughly in place but the pieces don't quite fit, but that doesn't stop the group from trying to force it, with Sammy sounding as awkward singing about south-of-the-border drug runners as Satriani does spinning off complicated riffs on party rockers. There's too much professionalism for this to be a trainwreck but the whole thing is rather laborious, with everybody working far too hard to have a good time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Billboard (p.33) - "Satriani's fretwork is surprisingly raw, loose and gritty, while Smith channels John Bonham more than once." Record Collector (magazine) (p.80) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "'[T]heir 11-song debut is an impressive melding of their variegated hard rock styles....The energetic and Eastern-leaning 'Get It Up' rages into the rumbling 'Down The Drain'..."

By the late 2000s, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony had departed Van Halen, Chad Smith had been the drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Joe Satriani had built up a nearly 40-year catalogue as a solo guitar virtuoso. Hagar, Anthony, and Smith came together at Hagar's Cabo Wabo Catina club in Mexico, participating in loose, spirited jam sessions. The trio decided they wanted to work together on an album, and as the hard, blues-rock-inspired songs began to gel, they called on Satriani to round out the group. Before long, the self-titled debut, CHICKENFOOT, was released, featuring songs like "Soap On A Rope" and "Down The Drain."

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