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Album Review: Sammy Hagar and The Wabos, "Livin' It Up!" (Rhino)

The Red Rocker and his Wabo pals certainly sound like they are "Livin' It Up!" on this collection of summery party anthems.

And, perhaps, the best place to enjoy this record is indeed at a party. Another good spot would be the beach or in a car full of chattering friends--anyplace where you aren't giving this album your full attention.

If you have the misfortune of being someplace where you can really devote some time and energy to this CD, what you'll find is a batch of empty-headed rockers that sound if they were knocked out during one tequila-fueled afternoon in the studio.

Hagar, as usual, takes the easy road here and grabs for trusty numbers that make good material for drunken toasts at frat parties. For examples, he provides suitably soggy covers of Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar" and Kenny Chesney's "One Sip." He also stoops to great lengths--even by Hagar's standards--to light up Bob Dylan's old stoner anthem "Rainy Day Woman #12/#35." Not that it's a bad choice of cover material--it definitely fits the album's mood--but it's just so darn obvious.

As far as the original music goes, songs like "Sam I Am" and "Living on Coastline" mark more than just a return to '70s-era Hagar--they show a musician who has somehow managed to avoid any type of artistic growth during his lengthy career.

Truly, the tequila kingpin has made an album that will surely sound better with the blenders spinning.