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Archive for Monday, July 6, 2009

July 6, 2009

‘Chickenfoot’ (CD)

This debut album from a new supergroup — guitar god Joe Satriani, singer Sammy Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony (both formerly of Van Halen) and drummer Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers — is a revival of classic rock n’ roll with a little extra personality and a lot of extra energy.

Satriani’s talent as songwriter and musician has finally found its home alongside his new bandmates, and they all seem to be having fun. The hard-hitting riffs in “Get It Up” and “Turnin’ Left,” coupled with Hagar’s exclamations of “yeah!” and “come on!,” beckon the listener to jam along with the band.

The quartet’s topic choice ranges from a more serious look at the world in “Running Out” to lusting after a rough, tough gal in “My Kinda Girl.”

Satriani’s fretwork is as startling as ever, and the funk-inspired drumbeats that are Smith’s trademark add a modern twist.

Not every song is memorable, but this debut makes it clear that these guys have decades of talent and indefatigable energy. Chickenfoot has added a new chapter to a classic sound, and it’s pretty refreshing.

‘The Bride Will Keep Her Name’ (Book)

So many things can go wrong for a bride in the week before her wedding. Dress alterations go haywire. The flower girl gets pink eye. The colorist turns her hair a wrong shade of something.

Author Jan Goldstein adds a few new (although seriously farfetched) items to the long list of potential bridal nightmares with his hurly-burly novel. Manhattan art gallery manager Madison Mandelbaum is six days away from marrying the man of her dreams, dashing TV reporter Colin Darcy, who sits on the precipice of a grand career in muckraking.

But then a flurry of anonymous messages begins, and Madison must question whether Colin, whose job is to uncover unsavory truths, is hiding a big secret involving a dead call girl.

The plot careens from there and crams in too much shrieking and fainting and recoiling from shocking new revelations. From just one page: “I let out a small gasp and my legs buckled ... I stared back in disbelief ... I turned and bolted from the room.”

As the drama unfolds, and the countdown to wedding day continues, trips to forensics labs and crime-solving organizations are interspersed with awkward future-mother-in-law teas and riotous dress fittings.

‘Transformers: The Complete First Season’ (DVD)

In time for the movie “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen” is the cartoon series that introduced the Autobots and the Decepticons to Earth. It features the voices of Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Chris Latta and others.

This collection, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Transformers franchise, includes digitally restored versions of the cartoons, with new stereo versions of the soundtracks; a short documentary, “Triplechanger: From Toy to Comic to Screen: The Origins of the Transformers”; printable “Transport to Oblivion” script; public service announcements featuring the Transformers; archival Hasbro roy commercials; and limited-edition Autobot magnet.