Sammy Hagar - Cosmic Universal Fashion

Ten tracks from the Red Rocker provide an eclectic insight into the singer/guitarist’s current stance, which mixes his solo and band past with hints of his guests’ oeuvres. Hence, the opening title track is a decent hard rock knock, the abrasive vocal tone over raking guitars and swiping percussion equally evident on Peephole. But Billy Duffy’s influence comes to the fore on the Cult-like Loud, a faithful cover of The Beastie Boys’ Fight For Your Right leads into the hard rock-funk of Switch On The Light, while When The Sun Don’t Shine mixes Hawaiian guitar with Southern rock. Hagar then emulates Dave Lee Roth on a couple of Filthy Little Mouthstyle knockabout numbers, before a live acappella closer. ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Journey’s Deen Castronovo and Neal Schon, and Velvet Revolver’s Matt Sorum all contribute, but it comes over as a mish-mash all the same.