Sammy Hagar - Cosmic Universal Fashion
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Free Music Notes for Cosmic Universal Fashion
Free Music Review: Rock from Cabo...again
Hit: 4 Stars
Another great job from Mr.Sammy...I would by any cd with his name on it even without listening...rock n roll man...Free Music Review: Sammy Returns to Rock
Hit: 3 Stars
A devoted rock and roller friend of mine said that he stopped listening to Hagar when Sammy "became Jimmy Buffet," a reference to Sam's last two albums with the Wabos. I have to admit, the last two outings did listen like grade C versions of "Cabo Wabo" and "Mas Tequila," with only one track between the two making it onto my replay list on the old iPod. So, when I heard about Sam's Cosmic Universal Fashion and sampled the tracks, I was excited to hear a return to the Red Rocker rock and roll roots. And, generally, Sammy succeeds with this new release; yet it still doesn't quite hit the mark for me.
Yes, there is a much harder edge to this CD than the last few Wabos albums and it is nice to hear some metalistic guitar work (portions sound remarkably like Eddie V) and the pounding drive. But if you are looking for the blend of that hard driving rock and Sammy's more melodic side, this isn't the album for you. There's very little melody here and that can be OK, but the result is that few of the tracks are particularly memorable.
The title track is really interesting, and while "Loud" has its moments, there is a passion lacking, something not helped by the lyrics feeling as if they'd come straight off an album from the 1970s. Sam throws in his remake of the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right to Party," one of his live show staples, and ballad-y live treatments of "Dreams" and "Cabo Wabo" which are pleasing if a little distant.
There is nothing either terribly remarkable or terribly offensive about the remaining tracks, save for "24365," which actually sounds like the Saturday Night Live skit starring Eddie Murphy when Eddie--as James Brown--sings about gettin' in the hot tub. Hands down it should never have made the cut.
All in all, this isn't a one-listen CD. It's pleasant enough, but it isn't anywhere near the level of Sam's best work. I'm still waiting for something that gets me moving the way "Little White Lie" did, but this will tide me over until we get there.
Free Music Review: CUF is OK, but that's it - I'm ready for Chickenfoot
Hit: 3 Stars
I am a huge Sammy fan. This is not his best work. The mistake I made was reading reviews before listening. The music isn't that bad except for the Beastie Boys cover, that sucks. It is kind of a hodge podge of different styles of music but it's growing on me. You need to listen to it loud, uninterrupted and with an open mind; maybe while driving down the road. Luckily Chickenfoot will be coming out soon and hopefully Sammy will redeem himself.Free Music Review: peephole
Hit: 3 Stars
peephole is actually from the band Planet US that sammy had with neil schon.i think jeff scott soto sang it a little better in Soul SirkUS.i think vertogo was a plant us song alsoFree Music Review: It's growing on me slightly, but still not his best.
Hit: 2 Stars
I'm a lifelong Sammy fan, I own every album, but I was pretty disappointed this one. I originally wrote this as a one-star review and said I saw nothing redeeming about it, but a few tracks are gradually growing on me.
He has lost something on his voice (understandably at 60), and I don't feel like he has adjusted the music well to fit. His last album, albeit a far departure from his norm, at least explored some new directions. This one, I feel, is just a collection of stuff to put on an album.
If you liked the more country / beach style of "Living It Up" you'll like the tracks "When The Sun Don't Shine" and the "Dreams/Cabo" cover on this one. Those are probably my favorites, because his rock voice just isn't working for me right now - too gutteral and often flat. The acoustic VH cover would be nice, but 2 of the 4 minutes are intro dialog. That's interesting the first listen only.
"Switch on the Light" is pretty fun with Billy Gibbons on it. That one in particular is really growing on me.
The "Fight for Your Right to Party" cover is just gratuitous - the roadie doing guest vocals? May make for a fun moment at a concert (once), but to immortalize it in print is inexplicable to me (not to mention a poor choice of a cover to begin with - the Wabos have a lot more musical talent to showcase than a 1 riff rap song).
"24365" is an attempt at funk, but when you think of "Would You Do It For Free" with Bootsy Collins (on "Marching to Mars") - that's the standard and this doesn't come close. This one does feature Bootsy, but it's just forced. I can't stop comparing it to "Would You Do It For Free" which I hold as one of Sammy's best songs ever, both for the music, the message and the history behind it.
A lot of people here are talking about "Loud" and "I'm on a Roll" as the best rockers on here, but I didn't care for either of them - the music was good but I thought the lyrics were awkward - cringe-worthy in some cases. (Note to musicians everywhere, PLEASE quit rhyming with "Steve McQueen" in songs!)
The two Planet Us songs ("Peephole" and "Psycho Vertigo") are good but just out of place. I think that's my biggest problem with this album - it's an almost random collection of stuff that doesn't flow. Put those Planet Us songs on a compilation sometime, or just via I-Tunes or whatever, but they are truly from a different era and just don't fit well.
I hate to say this, because there was a long period where I ate up everything from Sammy, but the years of screaming have taken their toll. There's not a lot of successful 60 year old screamers that have worked as steadily as Sammy through the years, and there's a reason. I think he needs to consider where he needs to go vocally to keep making interesting music. It probably will be different and a big change for his fan base to adopt, but we're all aging, too. I think his fan base needs to understand if he has to adapt his music to protect his voice better - we'll get more years of music from him if he does.