Originally published by L.S. Media. September 1st 2011.
The longer the Red Hot Chili Peppers left it, the harder it could have been to get back to the stage the group were at when they announced they were taking time out after their gargantuan and gut busting double album Stadium Arcadium. The length of time to record the album, the subsequent drawn out success of the tour and the departure of guitarist John Frusciante from the fold would have all taken their toll and broken lesser bands.
A change of personnel with the impressive Josh Klinghoffer replacing Frusciante in 2009 and drummer Chad Smith achievements with super group Chickenfoot have led to the band sounding fresh and unburdened by the past. The songs they have created for the new album I’m With You has the feel of something new, something quite exciting, perhaps its age and a new perspective within the band that has driven them to create some of the most beautiful yet dynamic songs of their career.
Although the band haven’t left the funk rock roots they started out with on their early albums and more noticeably on the critically endorsed Stadium Arcadium, they have matured into a group that accepts all and plays all, the difference in styles on I’m With You and is so big and full of diversity that you find yourself reaching for the album sleeve just to check that the distributors haven’t put in the wrong disc by a new band going out their way to make a name for themselves.
Front man Anthony Kiedis now has the voice and stature of an elder statesman in the music world whilst still retaining the loveable roguish attitude that has fans swarming over him with passion. On songs such as the haunting Meet Me at the Corner and the stunning Ethiopia, the emotion and rawness is there, its palpable and real and each word is delivered with like a gentle caress over a worried and fevered brow.
I’m With You stands out as one of the finest in the band’s history, respectful to past glories but no longer tied to them. An album to truly get your teeth around.
4 stars
Ian D. Hall