Red Hot Chili Peppers' new album I'm With You: it's more than a comeback
Chili Peppers' 10th album, I'm With You. Offering refreshed perspectives while maintaining the Peppers' signature funk-rock-pop stylings, I'm With You does not disappoint. Bursting with five years worth of pent up energy, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have exploded back on to the musical scene with a vengeance. Regrouped, retooled and renewed, the Peppers are nevertheless essentially unchanged: their core remains as offbeat and on-point as ever.
The album opens with the rumblings and grumblings of an aged, but quality, machine roaring back to life. Indeed, the introduction to the first song, named "Monarchy of Roses," calls to mind the image of the band members themselves emerging from their respective hibernations to rejoin forces and tackle the task at hand (in this case, the terrifically executed opening track). With an ominous drum roll and lead singer Anthony Kiedis' distorted vocals feeling their way into a steady flow, it is first Flea's peppy bass line, and ultimately new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer's unique rhythm, which pull "Monarchy of Roses" into an altogether new level of quality pop rock.
"Brendan's Death Song" is a poignant tribute to a late friend of the band, which showcases not only Klinghoffer's beautiful acoustic skills, but serves as a superb platform for Kiedis' stunning, soaring vocals. This track in particular reminds Chili Peppers' fans just how incredibly far Kiedis' voice has come from the band's early days of heavy rapping and scant singing.
Possibly the catchiest song on the entire album (which is not an easy distinction when the band produces an almost inordinate amount of infectious lyrics on this – and all – of their records) is "Ethiopia." With a constant chanting of "E I O I E I A," "Ethiopia" sticks in your head. Period. Good luck getting it out, although you won't really want to because you will quickly realize just how brilliant it is.
My personal favorite track on I'm With You is "Look Around." At once, you are transported to the Peppers' cocky Blood Sugar Sex Magic days with the fun, fast, rude and biting lyrics of Kiedis overwhelming your eardrums. Yet, "Look Around" plays as anything but stale; it is quintessential Red Hot Chili Peppers, with its unrelenting pace and groovy elasticity.
"The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" is absolutely gorgeous. With Flea's lazy breakdown at the fore, this song exudes easy confidence. As the album's lead single, this track suggests that the Peppers are out to prove that they have nothing at all to prove in the way of a comeback. They practically tease any possible detractors with the blatant leisure by which they conduct themselves on the track. It is as if they are saying, "Watch us as we orchestrate a massive return without really ever lifting a finger."
"Did I Let You Know" is a definite nod to "She Looks to Me" from 2006's Stadium Arcadium, and features the contribution of a sublime jazz trumpet. Unfortunately, the last half of the album seems to drag ever-so-slightly. "Happiness Loves Company" stands out as a particularly mediocre track. Nevertheless, I'm With You concludes on a definite high note, with "Dance, Dance, Dance" doing a tremendous job of tying up any minor loose ends towards the end.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have undergone several changes since they released their last album five years ago. Their guitarist, John Frusciante, quit the band shortly after their world tour in promotion of Arcadium, and the band subsequently took an unpexpected two-year hiatus. In that time, they found a replacement for Frusciante in the young Josh Klinghoffer. In addition, two members participated in side projects. Drummer Chad Smith joined the Joe Satriani/Sammy Hagar/Michael Anthony rock super group Chickenfoot. Meanwhile, Flea, the Peppers' celebrated bassist, contributed to Thom Yorke's experimental band, known as Atoms For Peace, and even found time to enroll in music theory classes at the University of Southern California.
Even so, it seems that the Red Hot Chili Peppers have stayed true to their long and tangled roots, even after more than two decades. They appear to have managed even further artistic growth in addition to their already established foundations. Instead of serving as a comeback album, I'm With You is a reminder that the Red Hot Chili Peppers never really left at all.
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