Red Hot Chili Peppers: I'm With You – review

Certain structural changes to the Chili Peppers should have affected the feel of their 10th studio album: guitarist John Frusciante has been replaced by fresh-faced Josh Klinghoffer, and bassist Flea has been studying musical theory. Yet business goes on essentially as usual across this collection of muscular funk-rock songs, though it falls short in the ultra-catchy-hooks department. Klinghoffer is less inventive than Frusciante, only breaking loose on The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie's string-snapping solo, but he's there with the big riffs when the songs call for them, while singer Anthony Kiedis excels himself in the forlornness stakes on a sweet tribute to a friend, Brendan's Death Song. There are a couple of unexpected bolt-ons – a carnival-huckster rap from Kiedis on Even You Brutus? and a hi-life trumpet workout on Did I let You Know, one of the most joyous love/lust songs they've produced – but I'm With You is basically more of the same.