Weighing with ten songs and a running time of forty two minutes, 'III' is yet another satisfying slice of power-rock from Chickenfoot.
If you're not familiar with the Chickenfoot line-up, the band consists of former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, Chili Pepper drummer Chad Smith, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani and Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony. A supergroup in every sense of the word.
As if the band name wasn’t strange enough, new album 'III' is in fact Chickenfoot's second album and was titled 'III' because, as Sammy Hagar explains, “it's so good, the songs are so tight, it's like we jumped right past having to make a second record".
A bold statement to make but the The Red Rocker backs up his words by leading us through a superb album. Chickenfoot's self-titled debut album was in no way a poor effort, however, this “all important second album” has seen the quartet look at their first offering and amplify things in every way. The saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it” springs to mind as despite being another serving of fist-clenching, power-stancing rock, we have the added bonus of everything sounding a little bit stronger, from the song-writing to the vocals to the instrumental passages.
Packed full of anthemic choruses, a constant trait throughout the album, Hagar's improved vocals sound as rough and ready as ever, while Satriani's guitar is sleek with more riffs and hooks thrown about for good measure. Each song seems to build to an air-punching chorus, whether it be the “I don’t wanna go there” of 'Last Temptation' or the “Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright...” of the appropriately named 'Alright Alright'. Songs from this album are certain to keep you rocking for some time after listening.
Superb riffs are scattered across the album with Joe Satriani making his mark again as one of the best rock guitarists in the world today, 'Up Next' being a more than adequate example. Following the next single to be taken from the album, 'Three and a Half Letters', I can certainly envisage 'Up Next' taking the slot of third single.
The standard doesn’t drop midway through the album, the tempo slows slightly for album ballad 'Come Closer' before firing right up again for new single 'Three and a Half Letters'. A unique track, the song sees Hagar reading letters, amongst some superb screaming vocals, from people who have been unfortunate with life and are seeking help. The song builds to deliver a hard-hitting message about the day-to-day struggles of many people.
Lead single 'Big Foot' and 'Dubai Blues' offer the last blast of familiar noise before the album closes with the much more calming, blues-infused 'Something Going Wrong'.
Top marks for Chickenfoot, they have created an exceptional rock album with 'III'. It seems the band, despite their limited time-scale (Chad Smith has been preparing to tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers for some time), have gelled more and taken a long look at their brilliant debut offering and tweaked every aspect of it. The result is possibly one of Rock music's albums of the year.
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If you're not familiar with the Chickenfoot line-up, the band consists of former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, Chili Pepper drummer Chad Smith, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani and Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony. A supergroup in every sense of the word.
