A lot has happened in the five years between Stadium Arcadium (2006), the previous record by the Peppers and the release of I'm With You. John Frusciante left the band to work on his solo career, Chad Smith was spotted with the supergroup Chickenfoot and Flea went back to school to take music theory lessons. Was it done with the Peppers then? No, at the end of 2009 they went into the studio to work
… on their new record with backup guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. It was later announced that Klinghoffer would become Frusciante's permanent replacement. However, without the latter's input into the writing process, the Peppers have taken a different path. There are good songs, such as Brendan's Death Song and Annie Wants A Baby, but every now and then you think you're listening to a cross between Eminem and The Beatles. Minced meat with whipped cream. I'm With You is a record that is not bad, but leaves little impression for a Peppers record. And after six years of waiting, that can be categorized under the heading 'bales'. (SI)more
