After a five-year hiatus, a major personnel change and some classical training, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are back with their 10th studio album, I'm With You. Though it has a much different flavor than previous Chili Peppers efforts, it hits all the right notes, again cementing their place as one of the greatest bands of the last few decades. That being said, old fans shouldn't go into their first listen expecting to hear the same hard nosed funk and in your face riffs they heard on previous albums. The Chili Peppers are a band impossible to place neatly in one genre. No two albums have ever sounded the same and I'm With You is no exception. It shows a tamer but technically proficient side of the band, yet another step in their constant musical evolution.
The most obvious manifestation of their evolution is the Chili Peppers' new guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer. Despite many fans' worries over replacing John Frusciante who had been with the band for their last four studio efforts, Klinghoffer puts out a style all his own. He plays with a subtle proficiency that's barely noticeable on most tracks. Listeners don't realize its importance until it isn't there anymore. However, Klinghoffer can take the limelight when he needs to, showing his chops on the bridge of lead track ""Monarchy of Roses"" and his solo on the single ""The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie"". His backing vocals on ""Did I Let You Know"" and ""Meet Me at the Corner"" demonstrate that he is indeed with the rest of the band and a full contributor to I'm With You.
According to Flea, I'm With You was chosen as the title of the album to represent the bands' feeling of solidarity with the people of the world. Lead singer Anthony Kiedis' lyrics also demonstrate that feeling. While some songs still maintain the seemingly random nonsensical lyrics fans have grown to love, Kiedis' personal evolution shows a distinctly emotional side. On ""Meet Me at the Corner,"" he laments that ""I'm guessing we're through…cause I messed up on you"". He states outright ""It's emotional / and I told you so,"" on ""Look Around"". No other track touches the emotion of ""Brendan's Death Song"" though, a track written in honor of Brendan Mullen, a lifelong friend of the band, and a song that has to be heard to be truly appreciated. Kiedis' guttural bellows make the listener want to cry and give hope for the future all at the same time.
Kiedis' versatility is matched only by that of Flea (Michael Balzary), the group's bass player. During the band's hiatus, Flea took courses at USC on music theory, composition and trumpet. Although he didn't receive any formal credit for the classes, he completed all the assignments and took the final, receiving an A in the class. On the album he goes from incredibly intricate and catchy bass lines, like on ""Monarchy of Roses"" and ""Factory of Faith,"" to playing classically inspired piano parts—""Happiness Loves Company"" and ""Even You Brutus?""
During the concert in Germany celebrating the release of I'm With You, the rest of the band took a break while a shirtless Flea played an impromptu piano solo (which is definitely worth looking up on You Tube). Flea's evolution has taken him from a Funky Monk to a jack-of-all-trades.
Despite the band's holistic revolution, there is one constant. It's been the same constant through the last decade for the Chili Peppers: Chad Smith, their drummer. Ever since he joined the band in 1989, everything from his syncopation intensive playing style to his backward hat and striking resemblance to Will Ferrell has brought a welcome consistency to the band. His perfected ghost notes and freakishly fast right foot continue to be the backbone of the band on I'm With You. Flying around the toms, Smith shines on the afore mentioned ""Brendan's Death Song."" Over Smith's beats Kiedis resounds ""You know I'm almost gone / and when the drummer drums / he's gonna play my song / to carry me along"". Both old and new fans alike can only hope that this isn't the last they'll hear from the Chili Peppers. Just don't expect to hear the exact same thing again.
