It's been a long, strange trip for the Chili Peppers. "All my life, I was swingin' for the fence. I was lookin' for the triple, never playin' good defense," (kinda) sings Anthony Kiedis on "Factory of Faith," a track off his band's 10th studio album, I'm With You. While he isn't referring to his own life or the life of his band on the song, it's definitely a suitable analogy for a man whose life has been a cacophony of bad decisions and drug abuse and whose band has fought through a myriad of line-up changes (many due to addiction). RHCP was faced with yet another change after 2006's Stadium Arcadium when guitarist John Frusciante left the band to focus on his solo work. While this split was more amiable than the last time Frusciante left the band (in 1992), it still brought about fears of a drop-off in the quality of music. After all, One Hot Minute, the last album recorded without Frusciante, was their least successful record in what can be called the 'modern' Chili Peppers era. But fear not, Chili Pepper fans! I'm With You is no One Hot Minute, as the Peppers mix up their various styles to create a very listenable, if lengthy, record.
Don't get too excited though. The presence (or lack thereof) of Frusciante looms over the record, and while new member Josh Klinghoffer certainly does an admirable job with the guitar parts, the soulful solos and backup vocals of Frusciante are sorely missed. Klinghoffer and bassist Flea do their best imitations of Frusciante's soaring, high-pitched backup vocals, but they're just that, imitations. The fact that they're typically mixed very low says it all. Enough mourning over the loss of Frusciante though, I'm sick of spelling out his name.
One of the best things about this album is a resurgence in the "slap bass" funk sound that has slowly dropped out of RHCP's releases through the 2000s. Flea does an excellent job with some killer bass lines, especially on "Monarchy of Roses" and "Look Around." That vintage Chili Peppers funk sound is mixed with some of their newer influences to create a very unique record. Sometimes it works better than others, but this record has its share of good tunes and a few bores. Ever since "Under the Bridge" shot them into stardom, I think they feel obligated to try and repeat that success with another ballad even though ballads don't play to the strengths of this band. Without Frusciante's guitar (dammit, sorry), ballads DEFINITELY don't play to the strengths of this band, and songs like "Brendan's Death Song" and "Meet Me At The Corner" are flow-stoppers. Additionally, I'm also happy to report that Anthony Kiedis must still be sober, because many of his lyrics are still pretty nonsensical. When he was doing boatloads of heroin and having tons of sex he had those things to write about, but since coming clean he either seems to just pick rhyming words out of a hat or he has a deeper understanding of metaphor than Maya Angelou.
The whole affair ends with "Dance, Dance, Dance," which is an interesting twist for the band, as they switch from their funk-pop into a dancey (go figure) mode with what sound like bongos helping drummer Chad Smith drive the beat. At nearly an hour in length, I'm With You feels a bit bloated and could have used some more editing. If you like the Chili Peppers, you'll probably find some new favorite songs on this record, but age takes its toll, and I'm beginning to doubt they'll ever find their way back to their 90s peak. 3.5/5.
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