This may not be the obvious choice for a favorite Sammy Hagar album, but it is mine. There is nothing about this album that I don't love. Sammy has put those Van Halen guys long behind him, and has written an album that is just as good, if not better, than anything that VH had ever released. Maybe this is just personal taste, but this album has everything that I've come to love from Sammy.
This is a Waboritas album, so you know that this is a band that fires on all cylinders. Sammy is well known for playing with some of the most talented musicians in the game. The guitars are handled by Victor Johnson, a name that anyone who loves guitar should know. The rhythm section of David Lauser (Alliance), and Mona Gnader are just perfect for this music. The keyboards are being handled by Jesse Harms, who has played with the likes of David Lee Roth, and REO Speedwagon.
There is not a bad track on this album. Sammy is singing with power, passion, and full of emotion. There are grooves ("Karma Wheel", "The Big Nail") ", there is crunch ("Stand Up", "The Big Square Inch") , and there is beauty ("Halfway To Memphis", "Things've Changed", "Make It Right"). Many different styles are touched on here, with amazing songwriting, and performance chops.
The album kicks off with "Stand Up", a pure rock and roller, and doesn't let up until track three, "Halfway To Memphis". This track may be one of the most beautiful songs that have ever been written. The lyrics are absolutely perfect, and Sammy sings it with such heart, and soul, that it's hard not to feel that emotion as you listen to it. Other highlights of the album include "Karma Wheel", "Make It Alright", the title track, and an incredible medley of Led Zeppelin songs, that even the might Zeppelin themselves would have to love.
To my knowledge, this album isn't overly well known, and there was only one track selected for a single ("Things've Changed"), which makes it a criminally overlooked album in the Red Rockers discography. But maybe that's part of the charms: it's a special album that belongs to the fans. An album that wasn't overplayed on radio stations. It's a secret to those of us that hang on to anything that Sammy Hagar has to offer us. It's an album that anyone who likes rock music should definitely check out.
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