The role of lead guitarist will be played by Josh Klinghoffer. The lead guitarist spot in RHCP has been a rotating cast of character, and this is the first album with newest edition Klinghoffer. The core of the band (Keidis, Flea, and Smith) are back again and have combine with their new guitarist to create one of their three best albums (the others being "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" and "Californication"). The album is funky and bridges all eras of RHCP music from their early days in the 80's as funk rockers to their 90's era lyrical alternative to their most recent pop-edged releases of the last decade. They showcase how fun and intensity mix well together and how the message of a song sometimes isn't in the lyrics but in the music itself. There is hit after hit on this album from the debut single of "The Adventures Of Raindance Maggie" to "Factory Of Faith" and "Monarchy Of Roses." Songs like "Police Station" and "Meet Me At The Corner" are the lyrical standouts of the bunch and "Ethiopia" is just straight up funky. After having been a band in some form or another for thirty years, it's nice to see that they are essentially the same as they have always been. Despite the losses and turnovers in their musical personnel, Red Hot Chili Pepper have proven that they are rock royalty and can still make some of the best alternative rock music around. This album proves that the new chapter in their existence is going to be exciting.
