Stephen The reason they're putting up with 'III' titles is definitely to avoid the sophomore curse that's been haunting many bands with their second follow-up release, but then, on the other hand, that title clearly reminds me of the disastrous Van Halen 'III' album with Gary Cherone. Luckily, after a quick stroll of the album and went back for couple more spins, Chickenfoot successfully raise the bar higher and managed to grab my attention after the overrated debut.

Some classic Van Hagar feel, some funky moments, some commercial elements, Chickenfoot apparently focused more on the songs this time rather than some technical jamming. Two perfect tracks for me are 'Different Devil' which is very radio-friendly and sing-along track and 'Come Closer', a beautiful and tender moment with a delicate arrangement. 'Last Temptation' and 'Up Next' are good tracks, 'Alright Alright' is slightly heavier, but those three tracks can't compete with some tunes from the second half such as 'Big Foot' or 'Dubai Blues'.

Couple of fillers here and 'Three And A Half Letters' is the most obvious one. I can live without this one, but another great contender to the awesome ballad is 'Something Going Wrong'. I can hear a Western flavor, a cowboy thing goin' on, some nice solos as well and if you're not passing 'Lighten Up' before, that's probably the best solo part of the album.

'III' is much friendlier to the ears, the band probably has heard complains everywhere that the debut isn't very accessible, or maybe they want to reach a wider audience. Either case, this is a step-up of the game, and love this album from the first spin. Great effort and I'll go with 80% for this one!