Red Hot Chili Peppers
Californication

THE REVIEW

While waiting for the next Peperoncini album, I dive into the archive to find something old by the Peppers, and I end up with the last true album from the Californian band. The album is dated 1999 and marks the rebirth of John Frusciante, the soul of the group, the genius. Although not very technically gifted, it is undeniable that this guy is the most important element of the Chili Peppers. The fact is that the great John's return coincides with the artistic rebirth of the Red Hot.

The album opens in the most overwhelming and crazy way possible: distorted bass notes accompanied by a rocking guitar and a rock-crushing drum, all seasoned by Anthony's liberating and joyful shout at the same time. It is "Around The World", an absolutely tough track with a funky bass like in the good old days. This first piece thus combines a typically funky bass with a very rock guitar, and the result is something really overwhelming. "Parallel Universe" has a very interesting bass and guitar structure, and we can immediately notice how the sound in this album is more rock-oriented, while funk is distributed sparsely: the second track confirms what has been said so far. "Scar Tissue" starts with a duet between guitar and bass joined by Anthony's very interesting lyrics and the usual, great, performance of Chad Smith's drums: a piece to listen to with eyes closed, imagining traveling to isolated places; the lyrics are violent, true, and ironic. Notably, there is John's great performance here, delighting us with a series of extraordinary solos that make us understand how important he is to the band's sound. "Otherside" is another rather rock piece, which also starts with interplay between guitar and Flea's bass, certainly one of the most successful tracks on the album. We return to more funky territories with "Get On Top" which brings us back almost twenty years, to when the Peppers were making hard and pure funk, a track for general pogo!

"Californication" is a return to more rock sounds, with that beautiful guitar intro accompanied by the solid bass and the tough drums, another track that deserves a lot, and at the time it was very successful. "Easily" is very overwhelming with the singer's very aggressive singing and John's riffs, who delivers an outstanding performance, as always. "Porcelain" seems to act as a bridge between the album's first and second halves: it's an unusual piece for the four, a poignant, simple, and very short ballad, a track to listen to in solitude: emotional! "Emit Remmus" is yet another rock track, as always aggressive and played masterfully by the band, although this could be considered one of the less successful tracks on the CD. "I Like Dirt" is a nice funky piece showing us that the four, despite their age, still know how to do it, giving us a carefree and fun piece like this one. "This Velvet Glove" brings us back to heavier sounds, the piece is of sure impact, with a chorus that sticks in your head very easily. "Savior" is a piece that doesn't offer much, it goes unnoticed. Therefore, the album seems to close without any major surprises, but now we have a final trio to be reckoned with: "Purple Stain" is the perfect marriage between rock and funk sounds, the lyrics are also very ironic here, and John's and Flea's instruments merge to give us a piece with strong appeal and great impact! This is certainly also one of the best tracks on the album. "Right On Time" shows that the Peppers want to end with a bang, a track that could be almost punk in speed and duration (just under two minutes), the chorus is based on John's falsetto voice and Anthony's funky singing, with Flea's bass working brilliantly. Just when it seems like the masterpieces are over, "Road Trippin" emerges, a true gem of the album, an acoustic track played without drums, especially enjoyable on long pleasure trips. In it, the group's desire to live explodes, an ending that leaves you speechless and with a feeling of great sadness inside...

This album marks the return to the great glory of the Peppers, and the return to life (both artistic and human) of the great John Frusciante. The album deserves all the praise and applause possible, although some tracks (Savior and Emit Remmus) could have been left out; if that were the case, we would be faced with a masterpiece of the late millennium rock. Seven years have passed since this (almost) masterpiece, and we are still eagerly waiting for the sequel...