Marching to Mars

Marching to Mars is a record on which Sammy Hagar lines up powerful rock songs and introspective ballads, foregrounding the heat and humanity of his voice. The riffs are thick and the rhythms simple, yet the songs hold both a sense of release and a touch of loneliness. After leaving Van Halen, it is a record on which he sounds freely again under his own name. Centered on the catchy drive of the lead single “Little White Lie,” from the lyricism of “Salvation on Sand Hill” and the scale of the title track “Marching to Mars” to the melody of “Both Sides Now,” the songs carry wide-ranging faces. While holding an arena-suited drive, personal emotion is always at the center of the singing. It is a record that clearly shows Hagar’s breadth as a solo artist, beyond boldness alone. The balance between the positive, hit-making rock songs and the introspective ones feels good. Putting his voice and character forward straightforwardly even after a long career, it is a fulfilling solo-rock record.