Chili Peppers Grapple With Some Old Demons

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
"By the Way"
Warner Bros.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers return with a surprisingly sweet new record "By the Way."
The Chili Peppers' transformation from party animals to puppy dogs has been so protracted and organic that it's never seemed as unlikely as it actually is. From socks on their privates to hearts on their sleeves, it all makes perfect sense in the wacky world of L.A.'s favorite dysfunctional rock family.

That introspective side reached full bloom on 1999's "Californication," and it remains the core of this follow-up (due in stores Tuesday). The Chili Peppers' hearts really don't seem to be in the up-tempo songs, which register as perfunctory nods to expectations and tap the worst side of Anthony Kiedis' singing--staccato jive and clumsy rapping.

His plaintive, nasal croon, on the other hand, especially when tracing the melancholy melodic signature the band relies on, can stake its claim as a key voice of the modern rock generation. A little lost and wounded, sorting through regrets and summoning determination, it suggests someone facing the realization that all those old demons are not easily shaken.

"By the Way" lacks the striking spareness of "Californication," but the arrangements are rich and often surprising, deploying strings, spacey effects and acoustic stretches to vary the atmosphere. The band's sweet, suburban soulfulness gets sidetracked by lapses into generic forms, but when they head into the landscape of the eternal hangover, the Chili Peppers manage to provide comfort even as they search for it.

by: latimes.com