Sammy Hagar & Friends

Hmm... after many albums and many years on the scene, the “red rocker” decides to go for a “friends” album... and just to set things straight, outright, this is a bit of a jam album, obviously an album that Hagar did, to have a good time doing some tunes that he likes but mostly originals, that tend to be slow poke stuff, that must have begun as jam ideas in the studio and given “bones” there ‘n then. There’s a great variety of people that Sammy can count among his friends, after all he’s a bloody superstar... and they’re pretty diverse, their musical background, I mean...
 
The legendary Taj Mahal gets the mojo grooving all out with “Winding Down” a nice hard rock ‘n bues mix that hits the sweetspot right from the go...
 
Bill Church (bass) & Denny Carmassi (drums) from Montrose, whose Sammy is an alumnus, guest on the very next tune “I’m not Going Down” which maintains the same rugged feel, but also adds some female vocals and additional vocals and also Vic Johnson, on guitar, being the first of many tracks to do so, who’s a longtime Sammy collaborator as the player in his solo band the Waboritas.
 
Then there’s the cover to “Personal Jesus” that Sammy makes quite even more depressive than the original, even if there are some female gospel singers to lighten up the chorus... go figure. Neal Schon, of Journey, Michael Antony (ex-Van Halen, Chickenfoot) and Chad Smith (RHCP alumnus) also in Chickenfoot, both along with Sammy, are his “pals” on this one.
 
“Father Sun” moves away from the blues into country and south/Orleans style stuff, with mandolins and accordions etc… and it's good fun!
 
“Knockout Dragout” is more like old school Sammy rockin ‘n rollin stuff… you know a party tune, with everyone joining in over some infectious riff! The riff and solo meister here is non-other than his Chickenfoot pal and well known solo genius guitarist Joe Satriani, and there’s also Kid Rock joining in, in all the fun as well as Carmassi once more on drums.
 
Seger’s “Ramblin’ Gmblin’ Man” that’s done with the Waboritas, ain’t bad, but doesn’t really outdo the original... while, “Bad on Fords and Chevrolets” that he does with country mega star Ronnie Dunn, is kinda cool, even if it sounds a bit odd in places. Not as odd however as the next one... “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett, featuring another cowboy, Toby Keith, this time, complete with ukeleles and all! How much more funked up, can you get than doing loungy standards with country superstars? Hahaha, it’s not entirely as bad as it sounds, it just feels a bit out of place, but I guess it must have done as an exercise in chillaxing! Seemingly the next song is also in the same mood – a bit of a tiki – sort of Hawaiian number where Hagar duets with Nancy Wilson and also has Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead percussionist) as a guest as well...
 
Last but not least at least on the normal edition there’s a (live in the studio-take 1) of a rather obscure rock ‘n roll song that was however popularized recently by the Rolling Stones... called “Going Down”, by some equally obscure 60s composer called Don Nix. Here the guests are again Schon, Antony & Smith.
 
All in all, Sammy Hagar’s “Friends” album is a mixed bag, as it has it’s brilliant moments along with its more “weird”, idiosyncratic ones making it a fans only release, I guess. Deluxe releases, feature 2 additional Montrose live songs as well as a DVD with a making of and a video for “Knockout Dragout” and come in a digipack.
 
While it’s a good release musically, it could easily bore people who are not in the mood for something that’s this “relaxing”…