Artist: Chickenfoot

CD Review

CD Title: Chickenfoot

Record Label: Fontana

By Adam Bowman

We've done the “supergroup”  thing before.  Hell, nigh to death.  Reasonable, then, that a band consisting of Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, Chad Smith and Sammy Hagar eschewed that zaniness and opted to just present themselves as they are.  C'mon, Chickenfoot isn't exactly the name you give to something you're looking to “extend the brand of”.

Then again, neither was KoRn until recently.  C'est.

Unabashedly about a good time, Chickenfoot's debut is exactly what one would expect if they had come across any of the players previously.  One notable exception here:  Chad Smith has been sandbagging us on his Chili Peppers drum work.  He cements himself as more than a master of groove here, he damn near runs this show.  While Satch (who lets his noodling effectively bubble under the surface) and Anthony collude to form the band's rhythm section, Smith steps out and just runs full speed ahead.  Mr. Cabo Wabo isn't far behind, as his pipes show no sign of aging (see “Turnin' Left” for your proof) and, in fact, he's probably crazier now than he was in Van Halen.

The tracks here are best served live, where the ingredients are more freely shaken and the crowd stirred.  You're probably going to feel similar listening to this as when you heard Hagar fronting Van Halen.  Check out the album if you absolutely need a fix, but snap up that concert ticket as soon as you humanly can.  Who cares if it's a supergroup?  They're here to party and enjoy the fun.