The Peppers did it. They created their best album yet. This is the first album in three years that I have been able to continusely listen to. The music is definitely mellower than past RHCP, but in my opinion, suits them better than anything they've ever done. All four of these guys are in their elements on this album. Frusciante's guitar playing is, while no Hendrix, definitely well-suited to the album, and he keeps up beautifully with anything handed to him. Flea is, as always, amazing. Chad Smith, while not a standout, fits into his rythyms and intracacies fine. Kiedis' voice, while not stunning, is the only voice that could work for these guys--I personally like his voice quite a bit. There are both standout gems on the album, and a few that could have been left out. To give you a taste of the music, I'll review a few select songs.DANI CALIFORNIA--more mainstream than anything else on the album, except for maybe Snow. Definitely a good song. Number one most played on my iTunes. 9.5/10.SNOW (HEY OH)--love, love, love the guitar riff at beginning. Overall, a great song with good lyrics, fantastic guitar (John shines on this one,) and Anthony's voice is VERY well suited to this one. 9.9/10.HARD TO CONCENTRATE--melodic, beautiful. best lyrics on the album. This song isn't given enough credit. 9.2/10.CHARLIE--Seriously, what on EARTH is this song about? I know Anthony said it was about someone's imagination or something, but come on. Sounds like drugs to me. Not a particularly good track. I still like it, but it was definitely skippable. 7.5/10.IF--This song is...not a standout. The lyrics are very cute, and the music is alright...but nothing special. 6.9/10.BUY THIS ALBUM. It's seriously one of the best things I've heard in quite a while.
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