Sammy Hagar Albums (22)
'Cosmic Universal Fashion'
Release Date 11/17/2008
Tracks 10
Label Loud & Proud
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Sammy Hagar took it easy on 2006's Livin' It Up! -- maybe a bit too easy, styling himself after Jimmy Buffett's beach bongo, keeping things at a slow-rolling boil. It was a strangely appealing switch-up but it's not a big surprise that the Red Rocker returns to roaring guitars on its 2008 follow-up, Cosmic Universal Fashion. Here Sammy chases after his faded adolescence through the rose-tinted "Loud" and a cover of the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right to Party," while bitching about fuddy-duddy fathers on "Switch on the Light." The electronic bluster of the opening title track shows that Sammy is at least trying to live in the moment instead of always leaning on the past, however, and although the slick "I'm on a Roll" threatens to boogie right off the tracks, at least it feels more age-appropriate. This is all relative, of course, as this is the guy who's still churning out grunge songs like "Peephole" when he wants to seem modern, which helps make the Little Feat-flavored blues "When the Sun Don't Shine" -- the song closest to Livin' It Up! -- easily the standout here. "When the Sun Don't Shine" is so effortlessly charming, it suggests that this is the road Sammy should travel these days. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Sometime after his acrimonious departure from Van Halen, Sammy Hagar decided that it would be best if he turned himself into a hard rock version of Jimmy Buffett. Since he already had his Cabo Wabo Cantina in San Lucas, plus his Cabo Wabo tequila, he was already halfway there -- he was celebrating the beach as much as he was playing music -- but with his 2006 album Livin' It Up! he finally makes the musical transition to full-time beachfront rockin'. Not that this is the manic, balls-out hard rock that made his reputation -- taking a cue from Jimmy, Sammy turns the intensity down a couple of notches (after all, you don't want things to be too rough and rowdy on a beach), adds some acoustic guitars, and even some country-rock flair, most notably in his ingenious reworking of Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar." The fact that Sammy is covering a country song about a bar gives a good indication of where he's coming from on Livin' It Up!: he's aiming for the aging rock & rollers who have started listening to country, but still love classic rock (he covers Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" and rewrites the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" as "Let Me Take You There") and spend most of their time fantasizing about "Living on a Coastline" or "Sailin" to "Mexico" or taking "One Sip" as they drive "Halfway to Mexico," knowing that they'll do this all "Someday." It's silly and obvious -- and it also feels like an advertisement for Cabo Wabo enterprises -- which would be irritating if the album weren't so much fun. The thing is, Sammy Hagar really believes in Livin' It Up! in this fashion, so nothing feels forced or contrived here, and the greater musical variety not only makes this record more interesting than his last several records, it also makes it more fun to listen to repeatedly. Plus, having the hints of country, blues, and soul scattered among the rock & roll sounds appropriate for a veteran rocker, which Sammy certainly is. But as Livin' It Up! proves, not even veterans need to settle down -- an introspective record would sound wrong coming from Hagar, and this nonstop beach party simply sounds right. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For his first live album in about 20 years, Sammy Hagar, according to his liner notes for Hallelujah, originally wanted to capture a full concert, but since that ran nearly three hours, he scrapped that and culled highlights from a St. Louis gig in 2001 and selected shows from his co-headlining tour with David Lee Roth in 2002, when Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony was part of the band. Hagar worked out a neat trick where he sequenced the album like an album, not a concert, but retained the raw, live, feel of a concert. And, make no mistake, this is a raw, loud recording -- over-amplified guitars, vocals sung from the gut, everything turned to 11. It has a visceral punch, particularly since "the Red Rocker" admirably decided to retain mistakes, but the sound is so overloaded and bright that it's tiring to listen to for an extended period. That may sound like an endorsement to some -- that it's nothing but pile-driving, hard-driving rock & roll, man! -- but the full-blare dynamics, while sounding as if you're at the front row of a concert, are hard to take through a stereo system at home. As this suggests, though, this is much harder rocking than anybody would have expected from a 55-year-old rocker, and it does capture the wild, hedonistic night out at a Sammy Hagar concert. But just remember -- they're called nights out for a reason. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
You've got to hand it to Sammy Hagar for proving the Van Halen brothers wrong. When he exited the group in 1997, Alex and Eddie blamed Hagar's supposed lack of 'work ethic' as the main reason for the downfall of Van Hagar. But during the subsequent years immediately after the split, Hagar issued a total of four studio albums, while Van Halen could only muster one -- the horrible misfire Van Halen III. And while Van Halen seemed quite unsure what they wanted to do musically, Hagar stuck to his guns -- issuing such classic Hagar-esque releases as 2002's Not 4 Sale. By this point in his career, Hagar knows he's playing to the already converted -- no point in trying to win over the young pop worshipping whippersnappers -- so there are few surprises here. "Stand Up" and "Halfway to Memphis" are exactly what you'd expect from Hagar, while the Led Zeppelin tribute, "Whole Lotta Zep," gives the listener the feeling that they've just walked into Cabo Wabo on the night of a hot Hagar-led jam. With quite a few rock veterans trying to update their sound with modern touches and failing miserably come the early 21st century, Hagar wisely sticks to his bread and butter on Not 4 Sale. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Released on the struggling Beyond record label in 2000, Ten 13 wasn't exactly a well-publicized release. An impressive list of artists joined Sammy Hagar around the turn of the century at Beyond only to release hefty musical but commercially non-viable recordings. Hagar fared better than most due to his solid fan base -- with which he managed to maintain a very close connection through touring, entertaining at his very popular bar and restaurant Cabo Wabo in Mexico, and by continuing to produce music generally true to his extremely popular '80s solo and Van Hagar material. After spending several post-Van Halen years creating a strange kind of populist party image for himself (something like a republican heavy metal Jimmy Buffet) Hagar delivered a fine offering that reinforced his eternally teenaged identity in Ten 13. Titled in honor of the singer's birthday, which is celebrated in historic proportion at Cabo Wabo each year, Ten 13 also features the "Waboritas" (Victor Johnson on guitar, Jesse Harms on keyboards, Mona on bass, and David Lauser on drums.) Highlights include the tight "Let Sally Drive," "A Little Bit More," and each of the wide open pop/rock cuts that fans of Van Hagar especially should get quite a large kick out of. Surprisingly even and strong, Ten 13 stands up with Hagar's best work of the '90s. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When Sammy Hagar's 11 years with Van Halen came to an end, he delivered some of the best solo albums of his career. The rocker's post-Van Halen albums weren't much different from his pre-Van Halen albums of the late '70s and early to mid-'80s -- Hagar was still playing the type of commercial hard rock and arena rock that put him on the map, and he was doing so with a lot of conviction. The Californian was in his early fifties when Red Voodoo came out in 1999, but it hardly sounds like the work of someone who was mellowing with age. Ballsy, in-your-face rockers like "Mas Tequila" (which incorporates Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll, Part 2"), "Don't Fight It (Feel it)," "Shag," and the AC/DC-ish "High and Dry Again" and are oozing with confidence -- -in fact, it's almost as though Hagar is shaking his fist at theVan Halen brothers and letting them know that he can do quite well without them, thank you. To some proponents of '90s alternative rock, Hagar and other arena rock veterans were anachronistic -- and, to be sure, this CD won't win any awards for being innovative or groundbreaking. Nonetheless, Red Voodoo is among the most passionate, focused, and inspired albums of Hagar's career. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Evidently, being kicked out of Van Halen revitalized Sammy Hagar, since Marching to Mars is among his best solo albums. A lean, tough collection of by-the-books hard-rockers, Marching to Mars stands out because of its immediate sound and Hagar's sense of purpose. He's out to prove himself, to illustrate that he wasn't just Van Halen's mouthpiece or a blowhard. Subtlety still remains a weak point with Hagar, but he's rarely sounded quite as convincing as he does here, tearing through a set of surprisingly well-written songs with such guest artists as Huey Lewis, Slash, Mickey Hart, and Bootsy Collins. There's still a handful of weak moments, but the record is one of his strongest, and with bluesy cuts like "Little White Lie," it's also one of his more ambitious. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
