Red Hot Chili Peppers - New Single

Just heard the new Red Hot Chili Peppers single, and its an almost heart breaking experience.

Its not as if its a bad song, its ok, its good in places. But there is a massive John Frusciante shaped hole bored straight through the core of the song that is evident from start to finish.

I always knew this day was going to be tough. I knew my judgement was going to be somewhat biased. Because Frusciante is my guitar hero, and for me the Chili Peppers line-up just isn't the Chili Peppers without him. But this was an almost torturous experience.

After the bass driven intro, you can picture the funky riff that should be there to take over - but doesn't come. In the chorus you can hear that Frusciante's beautiful, soulful, falsetto harmonies, so in tune with Kiedis' lead vocals are replaced (ironically, yet unsatisfyingly) by a guitar line. And again in the outro, the ghost of Frusciante haunts the track - the ambling finish, an empty space begging for a Californian sun-kissed solo from the great man's beaten up Stratocaster.

It's just not the same.

Anyone who doubts the genius of John Frusciante, listen to this track and re-assess. In the meantime, I'm off to listen to Stadium Arcadium again.

not as good as californication but then neither was their last effort.