I am very pleased to say that this isn’t the case for Chickenfoot. This may not be the album that Rock and Roll fans have been waiting and praying for to revive their beloved ill fated genre from commercial death, but it is a fun album to listen to. You can really hear the band begin to gel as a tight unit, and with some of the most talented and under rated people in the industry, we shouldn’t expect any less. When you first listen to the album you can begin to hear the cohesiveness of band as they move from individual players to a real band. One almost gets the feeling that Chickenfoot doesn’t want to be a super group, but just a group. Chickenfoot seems to be making a genuine attempt to create a long lasting band that makes great Rock and Roll. As with many new bands there are some snares and traps along the way as they grow together, but Chickenfoot seems to be tackling those challenges not only as veteran’s musicians, but as a committed band.

Stand out tracks include “Big Foot,” the lead single from album, the tender balladry of “Come Closer,” and the acoustic guitar and Banjo gladdened “Something Has Gone Wrong,” but it’s on the song “Different Devil,” where the band really shines. Sounding like it could have been an outtake from Van Halen’s “5150” album, it’s a rare treat these days to hear a song that just makes you want to roll down the windows and crank up your car stereo, without causing noise pollution.

Chickenfoot has made some big improvements on this album from the previous one. The music is tighter, the songwriting is better, the hooks are catchier, and of course the musicianship is outstanding. Satriani is learning that it’s not always a bad thing to take the back seat every once in a while as he really reigns in his playing. Sammy Hagar’s vocals sound just as good now as they did in the 1980’s, proving that he was the best singer his former band ever had, sorry Diamond Dave.

Grade: C+
bsmith@lakecounty-sentinel.com