Another Serving of Chili Peppers: Review of Unlimited Love (2022)
After six years, The Red Hot Chili Peppers have released their new LP “Unlimited Love”, being a return to form as well as a return of Frusciante after not recording with the band since 2006’s “Stadium Arcadium”. The Chili Peppers bring forth an album that is drenched in their funky, SoCal rock that was perfected with 1992’s “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”. But the band is in a position that many older rock bands face; how to record a new album that doesn’t stray away from the signature sound from the prime years without being a direct copy. And the Chili Peppers do try their best to walk this fine line but ultimately become victims of playing it too safe. The album opens with “Black Summer”, a slower tune that is reminiscent of when the Chili Peppers began getting serious with their sound in the early 90s. The album immediately dives into the 70s inspired funk sound of the album with the next two songs; “Aquatic Mouth Dance” plays out like a jazz induced fever dream. Frusciante’s presence is helpful throughout the album, brining on the multi-layered artistry of his guitar riffs and solos. He seems to be the most experimental on the album with songs like “Bastards of Light” which sounds like he’s playing through a synth modulator. “Veronica” is another experimental attempt by the band with a vibrato heavy verse and bridge before switching into the chorus with a completely different sound. Besides some of these instances of experimentation, and Kiedis’s questionable rap attempt on “Poster Child”, this album stays in the safe lane of nostalgia by offering the listener a moody, funk trip of their music from their prime. But there are some satisfying payoffs from the careful songcraft that the band has been indulged in for the past half-decade. You’ll just need the patience to sit through the songs to find these payoffs. Fans of the Chili Peppers will probably enjoy this sort of throwback era record. Just don’t expect anything new or surprising.
Rating: 3 out of 5