#33: Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You

Monarchy Of Roses
Factory Of Faith
Brendan's Death Song
Ethiopia
Annie Wants A Baby
Look Around
The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie
Did I Let You Know
Goodbye Hooray
Happiness Loves Company
Police Station
Even You Brutus?
Meet Me At The Corner
Dance, Dance, Dance

All songs written by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Anthony Kiedis - vocals
Josh Klinghoffer - guitars, keyboard, backing vocals
Flea - bass, backing vocals, trumpet, piano
Chad Smith - drums, percussion
Greg Kurstin - piano, keyboard
Money Mark - organ on 'Look Around'
Mauro Refrosco - percussion
Lenny Castro - percussion
Michael Bulger - trumpet on 'Did I Let You Know'
Produced by Rick Rubin

Label: Warner Bros.

After the departure of John Frusciante for the second time in 2009, the big question was whether the Red Hot Chili Peppers could come up with something worth listening to without him. This, I feel severely underestimated the influence of the other three members of the band. It's true that they never really got the kickstart they needed until John joined for 1999's 'Mother's Milk', but their one album without John between then and now - 'One Hot Minute' - was one of the band's very best. It's unfairly maligned by almost everyone in the world, but it really is a great album.

'I'm With You' doesn't really live up to that - though the sonics in the intro of 'Monarchy Of Roses' harkens back to that record - but it does manage to stand on its own. Replacement, Josh Klinghoffer doesn't really make his mark nearly as well as he should have, leaving Flea and Chad Smith to hold the fort musically. This is no bad thing, though, as it opens up an opportunity for one of the best rhythm sections in rock to stand in the spotlight for the first time. They've been overshadowed by the guitarist for the past 22 years, so it's a nice change of pace.

Not that they really do anything differently. Flea has always done the thing where the bass goes smoothly back and forth from lead instrument to rhythm, with the guitar doing vice-versa. But now with a fairly non-descript guitarist, he might actually get the recognition for it. Similarly, Chad Smith has always taken the 'whatever's needed' approach to his drums, never succumbing to the need to be flashy, whilst at the same time not being simple. Anthony Kiedis' vocals are, of course, forever dependable, and he doesn't really cover any new territory here, keeping very much in his post-'Californication' voice.

The songs are for the most part solid, with only 'Dance, Dance, Dance', really being a disappointment. They are however very much songs that sound like what they've been doing for the last 12 years, just without the distinctive guitar/backing vocal tones that has characterised that music. The exception being the fantastic, 'Even You Brutus?'. I hope this line-up of the band stays together long enough to record another album together once they've gotten more used to playing with each other, and maybe have Josh actually leave his mark on the album next time. The big fear being that John will return once again, and just as with 'One Hot Minute', this album gets completely discarded from memory and victimised for who it doesn't feature.

This album isn't available on Spotify.