Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You

After a five  year absence and a change of guitarist, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are back and explore new ideas on their 10th studio release in their 28 year long career.
Opener Monarchy of Roses starts with a mishmash of instruments and distorted vocals but kicks into life fifty seconds in with a classic Flea bass line and melodic Kiedis hook.
The album certainly sounds and feels like the Red Hot Chili Peppers of old with new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer continuing where John Frusicante left off without stealing the show, in fact the talented multi-instrumentalist often holds back to let Flea and Chad control the rhythm, such as on Ethiopia and Annie Wants a Baby.
The funky Look Around bears resemblance to This is The Place while lead single The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie would certainly not be out of place on Stadium Arcadium.
Did I Let You Know marks a fairly major change in styles with female backing vocals and a jazz style trumpet instrumental mid way through, but with a characteristic Keidis chorus to keep it familiar.
Happiness Loves Company, Police Station and perhaps stand-out track Even You, Brutus? all rely heavily on melodic piano riffs which are another new feature on this album. Possibly the influence of Klinghoffer, or more likely bassist Flea who enrolled himself onto a musical theory University course in South Carolina in which he learnt how to play and write songs on piano.
All in all a much better all-round effort and much more concise than Stadium Arcadium and the introduction of the piano is certainly a winner.
7/10