Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You

Sergio reviews Red Hot Chili Peppers’ I’m with You.

Artist Name: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Album Name: I’m with You
Year: 2011
Genre: Rock/Experimental Rock
Label: Warner Bros.

I’m not surprised by I’m with You. Really, I’m not. After 2006’s Stadium Arcadium, I expected the experimentation and stylistic changes to continue – and not be as subtle as their previous efforts. You see, Red Hot Chili Peppers have never shied away from experimenting with different styles and approaches – but they’ve been clever about it. Even so, frontman Anthony Kiedis did say that this new album would be like a rebirth of sorts, so you have been warned – and we did make ‘The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie’ available for you to listen to a few weeks back; undoubtedly, you ought to have noticed an altered sound.

Also, the departure of guitarist John Frusciante should’ve been a good indicator that there would be some form of change, as it is exceptionally difficult for anyone to duplicate or recreate his playing style (just ask Dave Navarro). So, it goes without saying that the most apparent transformation is the guitar sound of I’m with You, which is more simplified than the band’s previous offerings but is masked by extra layers of recording – evidently, the natural wizardry of Frusciante is missed sorely on I’m with You. To Josh Klinghoffer’s credit, he doesn’t imitate Frusciante’s style too often and brings his own firepower (I particularly enjoyed the dance-funk riff of ‘Monarchy of Roses’ and the simple, yet powerful, acoustic number ‘Brendan’s Death Song’), but I do wonder if he just isn’t a quick, temporary solution until Frusciante and the rest of the guys kiss and make up. Look, despite this, you’ve still got Kiedis’ unmistakable voice and Flea’s trademark bass lines, so the backbone of RHCP’s sound is intact.

Call me crazy, but I miss the old school jam sound of RHCP, not this new layered approach; it just felt much more real and genuine…I’m already anticipating the hatred from diehard RHCP fans for this review, but alas I can only give my views and I’ll stand by the fact that I’m with You isn’t great; it fails to hit the target several times, but it also does feature moments of sublime awesomeness, such as on ‘Goodbye Hooray’, ‘Monarchy of Roses’, ‘Police Station’, and ‘Brendan’s Death Song’). I’d recommend giving it a listen (maybe 2 or 3, if possible) before purchasing it.

Best Tracks: ‘Monarchy of Roses’, ‘Brendan’s Death Song’, and ‘Police Station’

63/100

- Sergio Pereira