Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You

Does What It Says On The Chili Tin

After the wail and screech intro of new axeman Josh Klinghoffer on opener Monarchy of Roses, it's business as usual as the Chilis break into their trademark melodic rock. The guitar distortion rails through the whole track laying harder rock foundations, as well as Klinghoffer's own after the departure of John Frusciante.

As well as glowing, there have been negative and indifferent reviews to this latest album I'm With You, but for me it is wonderfully predictable stuff. This is sing-along-in-the-car fare, AOR in its melodic anthems and rap-friendly interludes. It that's too tame then you're looking in the wrong place, and can't have been listening to previous hit albums that transcended their earliest raw if bludgeoning work.

This patent mark is stamped emotively in third track Brendan's Death Song, a tribute to friend Bendan Mullen, where the acoustic opening and solo vocal leads into a classic harmony-infused chorus like I said you know I'm almost dead you know I'm almost gone [which you will be singing within one listen] that rises throughout the song on the back of Chad Smith's rolling drums and Flea's dramatic bass lines to a rousing crescendo.

This is followed by the equally distinctive sound of Ethiopia with its jaunty funk bass lines and hypnotic if meaningless hook ee ii oo ii ee ii aa, another line to mimic instantly, your whole body moving uncontrollably to the tight rhythms and sustained coolness. Punctuating electronic beats lead out to a single slow chord ending, before moving onto fifth track Annie Wants a Baby, with pounding bass line, Anthony Keidis vocal platform, sweet harmonies - and we're off on the production line hand-crafting its quality brand. Sixth track Look Around has the familiar rap core wrapped by harmonies and fast-scat lines. Glorious.