'By the Way'... this album rocks

Red Hot Chili Peppers
By the Way
Warner Bros. It looks as though the members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers have finally removed the tube socks from their nether regions and grown up. By the Way is a marked change from the Chili Peppers' time-tested signature sound -- a driving blend of rock, rap and funk. Californication only hinted at the changes to come with pseudo-ballads "Scar Tissue" and "Californication." By the Way finds one of the most talented rock groups of the past 10 years at the peak of its maturity, range and musical craftsmanship. Longtime fans of the band will be shocked to hear an album that's far more akin to the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds or any number of Beatles records than the works of Parliament. By the Way is the most diverse and interesting of all the Chili Peppers' records, equal in quality to their breakthrough effort, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The album lopes freely between stirring balladry ("Universally Speaking," "Dosed," "The Zephyr Song," "I Could Die For You" and "Tear") and mellow, stripped down funk (the album's title track and first single, "By the Way," "Midnight," "Minor Thing" and "Venice Queen"). Other tracks reflect the eclectic nature of By the Way. "Can't Stop" is traditional Chili Peppers funk infused with beautiful Brian Wilson-esque harmonies, and "Cabron" is a lilting salsa influenced love tune, which works in unison with the overall sand-and-surf theme of the album. Producer Rick Rubin, who has overseen every Chili Peppers album, layers harmonies upon harmonies giving By the Way an immensely dense vocal texture. Anthony Kiedis gives his finest vocal performance to date. Flea and drummer Chad Smith provide a solid backbeat, but surprisingly enough, Flea is rather restrained on the album. But the real star of By the Way is guitarist John Frusciante. His six-string pyrotechnics will astound even longtime fans. Sobriety has served the Red Hot Chili Peppers well. They've managed to follow-up the solid Californication with the even better By the Way. The former sock wearing rock jocks are entering middle-age gracefully, and in doing so, are making the best music of their careers.