Tick-tock, I want to rock you like the 80s 3 Out Of 5 Stars
The Red Hot Chili Peppers make a transition between guitarists and what sounds like a transitional album. "I'm With You" carves out pop turf with new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer providing sturdy support and more than a few interesting riffs. And once again, Rick Rubin brings his less-is-more production philosophy to the Peppers, which is a good thing for a band that works more on instinct than technology.
That instinct serves them well here. The fuzz-bomb that opens "Monarchy of Roses" lets you know that you've got the m-fing Red Hot Chili Peppers back in your player, man, before things turn conventional and the meaty chorus sinks in. If the lead single's title of "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" didn't make you think about "Dani California," the bass/drum shuffle sure will. Plus, there's a great tribute song for writer Brendan Mullen that revisits the acoustic-building-to-wall-of-sound that was "Under The Bridge." "Brendan's Death Song" may not be the revelation that "Under The Bridge" was, but then again, "Blood Sugar Sex Magic" is still the best thing the Peppers have ever done.
What "I'm With You" boils down to is RHCP's constancy. Once they hit a secondary peak with "Californication," they've been pretty much fishing in the same barrel ever since. "Stadium Arcadium" scored some bonus points for its audaciousness, while "I'm With You" sounds what I imagine "Stadium" (even with the switch in guitarists) would have sounded like had the Peppers held themselves to a single disc release. Don't expect anything radical, just know that you're still getting a quality album.
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