Let's start with a humble review of the new RHCP record, Im with you. For those who follow both blogs, I hope you will recognize the difference- Im trying not to translate literally.
So maybe a few of you already know that RHCP has been my no.1 band for a long time. The shock came with the departure of guitarists and official soul of the band, John Frusciante. Josh Klinghoffer jazz-weirdo jumped in as a substitution, who had been already playing with the peppers for a couple of years. In addition, bassist Flea prepared for the new album with attending music school, drummer Chad Smith continued playing with the supergroup Chickenfoot, and the lithuanian origin (thats for you, Vita, Monika, Egle and Dovydas) Anthony was also taking some extra singing lessons. Truth be told, he badly needed it, just check out some concert videos.
Everything is set for a rebirth, the only question is that if its gonna be outstanding or awful? The answer is somewhere in the middle.
For those (and for me as well), who expect nice guitar domination, Im with you is a definite dissapointment. Josh is a nice guitarists, but his melodies are forgettable, and only assists from the background. The only songs that jump at and thus my favorites were the super-pulsing Even you, Brutus? and the old-chili style Annie wants a baby. During the the rest of the album Josh stays in the background, and when he tries some solos, the result is mostly awful, like the one in Ethiopia. Compare any of the solos with Monarchy of roses'! The only honest and improvisative one on the album. Even Josh admitted that he took his mentor's (Frusciante) advice, and tried to not think while composing. He should've kept this hint during the full album.
So lacking the guitar, the album relies mostly on the others. Flea is doing his best, throbbling and funky bass melodies, crazy trumpet improvizations and nice rhytmic piano chords color the songs, which all make you feel like a rockstar while listening to it.
Though there are some misfits as well, like Happiness loves company, where the eclecticity is too much, and the little flute-motif is ubearably annoying. And there is no guitar to correct it.
The mandatory sad ballad of Im with you is Brendan's death song. What was always great about the peppers is that they could write these ballads proportionately, not to cheesy nor pink. Now the custom is left behind, and Brendan's song got too far with the cheesyness, merging to the level of the one-and-only cheesy song Road trippin'.
Some may argue that the tenth album of the peppers fits in the full picture, cause with a new guitarists they couldnt have created anything better, and I have to agree with that. But for me, the RHCP was always equal with THE guitar, and the new album totally lacks it.
So as a final judgement: Im with you is precisely like the song Did I let you know. Creative, happy, and smart in composing, but not enough- a song (album) only that reminds us something good that happened a decade ago, but it cannot be brought back.
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