Album Review — Sammy Hagar & The Circle

Sammy Hagar & The Circle — Space Between

Sammy Hagar has worked with some amazing musicians over the years. The Van Halen brothers, Neal Schon, Joe Satriani, Ronnie Montrose and of course, Michael Anthony. Hagar has never been shy to play with some of the biggest names in rock and roll. His current band, The Circle, includes Anthony, Jason Bonham and the guitarist from his solo band, Vic Johnson.

The Circle started out as a tribute band, playing most of Hagar’s back catalogue as well as Zeppelin tunes and they released a live album a few years back. But the band has now released a studio album of original material that Hagar has labeled a “concept record”. At 71 years old, you never know how many albums Hagar has left in him, so we are going to take our time with this one.

As a reminder, the record has only been out 10 days or so and I’ve only been through the record a few times. So these are just my initial thoughts. Records can grow on you, and the great records stand the test of time and even get better over the years. So as with all my reviews, songs and records have a life span and we are only at the very beginning.

“Space Between” starts off with “Devil Came to Philly” which is an introduction to the concept of the record. The concept of the record seems to be about money and the different ways it can be used. The Devil, in this case, brings greed. The song isn’t overly complicated or interesting, but it serves a purpose.

“Full Circle Jam (Chump Change)” is up next and reminds me “Three Lock Box” from the early 80s. It’s got a bluesy baseline with Hagar belting over the top. It definitely has more of a jam feel to it.

“Can’t Hang” starts off with a bluesy acoustic guitar riff. At this point in the record I’m wondering when Sammy and company went so bluesy. As the song progresses it has a bit of an acoustic Zeppelin feel to it. In the chorus we get our first real Michael Anthony background vocal which is great to hear.

More acoustic guitar to start “Wide Open Space” but much less bluesy. Hagar sings about longing to leave the city and head for wide open space. The song builds to a nice chorus. Hagar still sounds amazing, especially for being 71 years old. It’s quite the contrast to David Coverdale who clearly has had to change his vocal delivery as he’s gotten older. Hagar still goes for the vocal home run and he never misses.

Crunchy guitar starts off “Free Man” and Hagar gets edgy with his vocal. Again, he’s a medical marvel. This is definitely the heaviest track on the record which is a pleasant surprise. I would have liked to see something better than what we get in the chorus, but I can’t complain about a heavy rocker.

“Bottom Line” lightens up the mood and brings in a little keyboard. We almost get a Beach Boys kind of feel which I like contrasted to the heavy lyrics that Hagar brings as he espouses about the inequity of wealth. It’s a smart move by Hagar to bring some levity musically to a politically charged song.

The album is flying by, mostly because the album only checks in at around 35 minutes. “No Worries” is up next and is another upbeat but laid back track. Anthony shows up again with those familiar backing vocals. This one reminds me of the more recent Hagar era of drinking on the beach. And what would a Sammy record be without him plugging his current product (currently, it’s rum).

“Trust Fund Baby” was the first song I heard off the record and the opening riff just screams Led Zeppelin. The song in general isn’t, but the opening riff and the breakdown riff between the chorus and the verses is very much Zeppelin. If Hagar didn’t have five decades of songwriting underneath him and the drummer wasn’t the kid of Zeppelin’s drummer, I might have an issue with it. But clearly it’s meant as tribute and should be appreciated as such. It’s a cool song that I like more and more each time I hear it.

“Affirmation” is a little different and has a keyboard part running through that reminds me of 80s Genesis. It’s heavy in parts with a cool guitar riff but also has that 80s Genesis feel. It’s an interesting song that has some complexity that the album is generally light on.

“Hey Hey (Without Greed)” closes the record and is really just three chords over and over with the band singing “Hey Hey” and Hagar riffing vocally about money and the positive impact it can have. It’s brings the album full circle as the opening track about the Devil has the same “Hey Hey” in it and speaks to the evils of money. It’s an interesting concept to open and close the record, but I wish they did a little more with the song.

This is a hard album to review. I’d like another month with the record to let it sink in. There’s some much expectation with these four musicians getting together that it’s going to take some time to get past that and just listen to the songs. But at this point in time, I’m a little let down. The album is very short at 35 minutes and although there are some songs I like, there aren’t any that I rank anywhere near among Hagar’s best work.

The album is a concept record and needs to be taken as a whole. My hope is the album grows on me with more listens. But for now, it falls a little short for me.

85 out of 100

Track Listing

1. Devil Came To Philly
2. Full Circle Jam (Chump Change)
3. Can’t Hang
4. Wide Open Space
5. Free Man *
6. Bottom Line
7. No Worries
8. Trust Fund Baby *
9. Affirmation *
10. Hey Hey (Without Greed)

*Best Songs