CHICKENFOOT
III

By Shane Pinnegar

A damn fine record this, but unfortunately not QUITE as good as this superdupergroup’s brilliant self titled debut affair from last year.

III sounds ‘MORE’… there’s more Hagar, there’s more Satriani, more of a Van Hagar meets Led Zeppelin feel, but overall it’s more fractured, slightly disjointed - more a result of the individuals in the group rather than being greater than the sum of their parts, as “Chickenfoot” was. Perhaps the "band of brothers" vibe was disrupted by Chad Smith being torn between this album and his day job with RHCP - there seems no ego's disrupting play.

Judged on its own merits, though, “III” is a rockin’ party of an album. The immediacy of ‘Alright Alright’ belies its simplicity. ‘Different Devil’ is wistful and plaintive, while ‘Big Foot’ and ‘Dubai Blues’ take us back to Van Hagar days with Michael Anthony’s unmistakeable backing harmonies and bass runs.

‘Three & a Half Letters’ rails against financial injustice using genuine pleas for help from those hit by the economic crisis in The States, and packs a powerful punch.

There really is nothing to dislike on this album – it’s the sound of four massively talented and highly professional creative people doing what they do best, but while Sammy Hagar has gone on record saying it’s “the best thing” he’s ever done, the album does fall a fraction short of the energy, immediacy and simpatico vibe of their debut.