Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m with You Review

Posted by Chad Nevett on 09.02.2011

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are back with a new guitarist and their first album in five years. Does it match up to the band we last knew or is the new direction a mistake? Read 411’s Chad Nevett’s review to find out!

Has it really been five years since Stadium Arcadium? That’s one of those facts that both seems right and wrong at the same time. That double-album finalized probably the most successful, commercially and critically, period of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ long career and the loss of guitarist John Frusciante subsequently has made many wonder, including myself, if that means the ‘good times are over’ for the band. After all, prior to Frusciante’s return to the band, the Chili Peppers had struggled for years to find a direction that satisfied themselves, the fans, and the critics. His return marked the rebirth of the band in many ways. Obviously, it wasn’t all him, but he seemed to be the missing ingredient that helped make the band produce some of the best rock music of the past decade or so. With three quarters of the band still around, the question wasn’t so much one of whether I’m with You would be good or bad, but of how much better or worse than the previous three albums.



I’m with You
1. “Monarchy of Roses” (4:11)
2. “Factory of Faith” (4:20)
3. “Brendan’s Death Song” (5:38)
4. “Ethiopia” (3:50)
5. “Annie Wants a Baby” (3:40)
6. “Look Around” (3:28)
7. “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” (4:42)
8. “Did I Let You Know” (4:21)
9. “Goodbye Hooray” (3:52)
10. “Happiness Loves Company” (3:33)
11. “Police Station” (5:35)
12. “Even You Brutus?” (4:01)
13. “Meet Me at the Corner” (4:21)
14. “Dance, Dance, Dance” (3:45)

The album begins with a cacophony of sound with banging drums, screeching guitars, a sort of throat clearing before a steady, rapid beat takes over and Anthony Kiedis’s voice is heard somewhat muffled, almost like it’s coming through a radio. This continues for around forty seconds until a funky dance rhythm infects the song and the sound clears up. “Monarchy of Roses” is a catchy, pulsating song that has a much more poppy feel that signals a shift in the band’s sound. There’s still that dirty rock feel throughout the song for the verses and a great guitar bit for the bridge, but this is a different sound for the band. The serious funk in the bassline for the second song, “Factory of Faith” brings to mind Franz Ferdinand a little. This is Red Hot Chili Peppers album that you kind of want to dance to. It’s a vibe that comes and goes throughout the album. The first single, “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” definitely has a funky dance beat throughout.



The Red Hot Chili Peppers have always had a little bit of funk to their sound with Flea on bass and, without an imposing guitarist like Frusciante on board, he and drummer Chad Smith overwhelm the sound of the band a little. It’s not that new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is invisible, his guitar work jumping out on the third song on the album, there seems to be a hesitancy in asserting himself. Maybe it’s a ‘new guy in the band’ or something that I’m putting upon the album because I know he’s the new guy in the band. Nonetheless, it’s apparent that the bass and drums drive this album more than previous efforts.

In some spots, there are hints of the same Chili Peppers. The chorus of “Ethiopia” sounds almost like an outtake from the previous few albums, while “Look Around” is a full-on poppy rock song complete with an aural callback to “By the Way.” Kiedis’s vocals on the album alternate between singing and his old rapping style, leaning a bit more towards the latter because of the driving drumming.

The songs that feature the more explicit dance sound are the most energetic ones of the album, which is surprising. There’s not a sign of any hesitancy in those songs. It’s actually the ones that lean more towards the regular rock side of things that disappoint, sounding like attempts to do the same old, same old. They keep the album from having as unified a sound as it could and means that the album drags a little in its last third. Fans who want the band to rock a bit more may disagree, but I would have preferred to see them fully embrace the rhythmic dance beats that populate some of the catchier standouts on the album.

The album closing with “Dance, Dance, Dance” is appropriate, both in its sound and in the statement it makes. If “Monarchy of Roses” was the throat clearing tone setter for the album, “Dance, Dance, Dance” is the final confirmation of what the band was going for. Just get up and dance, people.

The 411: Despite changing guitarists, I’m with You fits with the band’s last few albums, only with a funkier, more danceable sound. Rock fans may be a little let down and declare this a misstep, but it’s hard to ignore the catchy, fun tunes that populate the album. It’s infectious and perfect summer music, even if it’s coming at the tail end of the season. Not quite as great as the band’s last three albums, it’s still pretty good and indicates that the band will not only continue without Frusciante, it will continue to thrive.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]