Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You, Aug 29

When a world-famous band has been away from the scene for five years there is extra pressure to come back with a new era-defining album to appease fans for the long wait. In the case of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I’m With You doesn’t threaten to take the music world by storm, with classic examples of what made this band internationally loved isolated among heavy expanses of filler. With this offering the Chillies have made a respectable return but are unlikely to become the sensation that came to define modern rock two decades ago.

Gone is the sonic mastery of old, which is largely down to the absence of John Frusciante. Without his contribution the album is enjoyable but also surprisingly ordinary. With such a signature component of the band missing the band has had to start again and instantly evolve the band’s sound, which had won so many fans since Frusciante returned to the band in 1999. Josh Klinghoffer, a long time collaborator with Frusciante, fills his place here, and although accomplished and inventive he clearly needs time to forge his place among illustrious company. Throughout the album the vocals of Anthony Kiedis take extra precedence and, although an accomplished singer, he has had to rely on his bandmates in leading the band. Oozing charisma and style, Kiedis as a frontman has defined the band’s image, but his voice has merely been one instrument in the band’s sound, perfectly complimenting the peerless Frusciante and an irresistible rhythm section.

Here Kiedis has had to cover for Frusciante’s absence, and on tracks like Brendan’s Death Song his vocal deficiencies are painfully brought to light. This is no criticism of Kiedis’ performance on the album; he is at his best on Look Around where he delivers an increasingly rare rap lead which used to grace much of the band’s finest work. With much of the creativity gone with Frusciante however, many of the songs lack bite and the best moments are when the band’s old sound is replicated. The harmonising vocals on Did I Let You Know hark back to the band’s By the Way era, while Klinghoffer’s kaleidoscopic guitar and Flea’s swirling basslines on Goodbye Hooray show the band’s funk origins have not been completely deserted.

The opening track, Monarchy of Roses, points to a new direction in the band’s sound with its uptempo dance beats, also used in the lead single The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie. The band has tried to adapt in response to a new line-up, but it is when the old sound is revisited that the album is most enjoyable. With most of the members in the twilight of their careers, the album was always going to be a watershed moment, being either an exciting new chapter in the band’s history or the point of decline. Missing the edge and originality of previous recordings this seems to be the latter. Unless they recapture the spark that brought them worldwide adulation the band will no longer be seen as one of rock’s leading lights, and with a glittering past you feel this would be a decisive turning point.