Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Hagar, Sammy
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2013
Length: 37:31
Rating: 3/5
Sammy Hagar is considered one of the sharpest businessmen in the music biz. If you sell your whiskey brand to Campari, you really don’t have to check your pockets to make it through the month. »Sammy Hagar & Friends« is first and foremost a prestige album, the kind not just anyone can afford. It’s hard to call it a proper solo studio album. Above all, Sammy just felt like throwing another good party in the studio and having some close encounters with his musical buddies. So songwriting insight takes a back seat on this record.
»Sammy Hagar & Friends« is a very welcome album that gives a peek into Sammy Hagar’s own take on music. A kind of cross-section. Sammy is a rocker. »The Red Rocker«. A redneck rocker of the old-school breed. The former lead throat of Montrose. An old fart. He’s got everything figured out and nothing slips past him. And he still screams like an »animal«. Even with 63 years on his back, he doesn’t skimp on energy, and »Sammy Hagar & Friends« spews it out in abundance. The album is interesting for its many genre bridges, which he fuses into one unified musical body, and that’s really what personifies Sammy as a musician.
Sammy Hagar, who’s lived through the heaven and hell of rock n’ roll over four decades in music, owns Grammy awards, has been inducted into the rock n’ roll hall of fame, and is a man who doesn’t do things by halves. His renown reaches far beyond the fact that he sang for Van Halen! So Sammy managed to gather a colorful palette of masters of their craft for this album. Masters! Besides the beastly Sammy, there’s room on this album for many additional roles, which Sammy handed out among the following names: Kid Rock, Nancy Wilson (Heart), Toby Keith, Taj Mahal, Ronnie Dunn (Brooks & Dunn), Michael Anthony (ex-Van Halen, Chickenfoot), Neal Schon (Journey), Chad Smith & Joe Satriani (Chickenfoot), Bill Church & Denny Carmassi (Montrose), Mikey Hart (Greatful Dead), The Wabos, and the list goes on.
The project Hagar took on with this album is reminiscent of his adventure between 1983 and 1984 called HSAS. Hearing the guitar on the cover of the Depeche Mode classic Personal Jesus from the great Neal Schon (Journey, ex-Santana), Hagar’s former HSAS partner in crime, is a priceless experience. There are new originals Winding Down, All We Need Is An Island and Father Sun, then Not Going Down, which Jay Bouchanan (Rival Sons) wrote for Hagar, and songs that came about through co-writing with several names (Knockdown Dragout, Bad On Fords and Chevrolets). The whole lineup of »Sammy Hagar & Friends« carries over the eastern characteristics of hard rock, weighed down to a greater or lesser degree with elements of rock ‘n’ roll racing (Bad On Fords And Chevrolets), soaked generously in delta blues (Winding Down), country (Father Son), all the way to pop (All We Need Is An Island). By the time you fight your way to the closing Going Down, you run into a lineup nearly identical to the super rock band Chickenfoot. Only instead of Satriani, it’s Neal Schon who slices the guitar on this track. The rhythm section is held down by the Chickenfoot duo of Michael Anthony (ex-Van Halen) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chilli Peppers). And speaking of »Satch«, Hagar by no means forgot about him. Satriani also adds his famous guitar licks to the album. Rest easy.
This album offers a bottomless bag of fun, and it’s basically the “bitter” ID card of Hagar’s untamed character. We shouldn’t be too hard on it. The team of musicians put everything on the card of pure enjoyment when they conceived it, so they didn’t bother too much with the insightfulness of original songwriting. The pros, with their left pinky finger, under the watchful conducting of Hagar’s magic wand, delivered an unerring rendition of 11 songs, glorified by the unique character of a blend of Hagar’s musical outlook and highly renowned guests. Less songwriting originality, but that much more sparkling fun and authentically delivered passion and emotion.
Despite the mostly glowing praise, the album gets three points in this review. Because of the vocal performance on the track Knockdown Dragout, which is sung below par. Downright awful, even. Sorry, you old rascal Sammy. But that’s one point gone right there!
Lineup
1. Winding Down::
Sammy Hagar- vocals, guitar
Taj Mahal – vocals
Dave Zirbel – guitar, dobro
John Cuniberti – percussion
Mona Gnader – backing vocals
Vic Johnson – backing vocals
2. Not Going Down
Sammy Hagar – vocals, guitar
Vic Johnson – guitar
Bill Church – bass
Dave Zirbel – Lap Steel
Denny Carmass – drums
Claytoven Richardson – backing vocals
Sandy Griffith – backing vocals
Omega Rae – backing vocals
3. Personal Jesus:
Sammy Hagar – vocals
Neal Schon – guitar
Michael Anthony – bass
Chad Smith – drums
Claytoven Richardson – backing vocals
Sandy Griffith – backing vocals
Omega Rae – backing vocals
4. Father Sun:
Sammy Hagar – vocals, guitar, Lap Steel, backing vocals
Vic Johnson – guitar
Mona Gnader – bass
Andre Thiery – accordion
James DePrato – mandolin
Denny Carmassi – drums, percussion
Aaron Hagar – backing vocals
John Cuniberti – backing vocals
Erica Cuniberti – backing vocals
5. Knockdown Dragout:
Sammy Hagar – vocals, guitar, backing vocals
Kid Rock – vocals, backing vocals
Vic Johnson – guitar, backing vocals
Joe Satriani – guitar solo, backing vocals
Denny Carmassi – drums, backing vocals
Mona Gnader – bass, backing vocals
John Cuniberti – percussion, backing vocals
6. Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man written by Bob Seger
Sammy Hagar – vocals. guitar, guitar solo
Vic Johnson – guitar, backing vocals
David Lauser – drums
Mona Gnader – bass, backing vocals
Susie Davis – organ
John Cuniberti – percussion
Claytoven Richardson – backing vocals
Sandy Griffith – backing vocals
Omega Rae- backing vocals
7. Bad On Fords and Chevrolets
Sammy Hagar – vocals, guitar
Vic Johnson – guitar. backing vocals
Dave Zirbel – Lap Steel
David Lauser – drums
Mona Gnader – bass, backing vocals
Audie Delone – piano
8. Margaritaville:
Sammy Hagar – vocals
Toby Keith – vocals
Karl Perazza – percussion
Ruth Davies – bass
Paul Revelli – drums
William Kirchen – guitar
Austin de Lone – piano, accordion
Mona Gnader – backing vocals
Caroline de Lone – backing vocals
9. All We Need Is An Islandr
Sammy Hagar – vocals, guitar
Nancy Wilson – vocals
Dave Zirbel – pedal steel, Tahitian ukulele
Mickey Hart – drums
10. Going Down (Live in Studio-Take 1):
Sammy Hagar – vocals
Neal Schon – guitar
Michael Anthony – bass
Chad Smith – drums
Production
Sammy Hagar & John Cuniberti
Tracklist
1. Winding Down
2. Not Going Down
3. Personal Jesus
4. Father Sun
5. Knockdown Dragout
6. Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man
7. Bad On Fords An Chevrolets
8. Margaritaville
9. All We Need Is An Island
10. Going Down (Live In Studio-Take 1)
