Red Hot Chili Peppers’ ‘Unlimited Love’ Explores New Frontiers With Old Comrades: Album Review
variety.comA.D. Amorosi When Anthony Kiedis told Variety about the unspoken, unwritten law of Red Hot Chili Peppers, one “where anything goes, anything is welcome,” the vocalist could’ve been talking up the gloriously manic mess of “Unlimited Love” (the “anything goes” bit), and the return of guitarist-composer John Frusciante (the “anything welcome” part) to the RHCP fold.What is most welcome when it comes to the Peppers’ sliding-scale-quality catalog is focus, a cohesiveness given to Kiedis, bassist Flea and drummer Chad Smith almost exclusively by the solid, fancifully flighty melodies and impressionistic guitar work of Frusciante.
Bringing back the Chili Peppers’ most masterful producer, Rick Rubin, for the 17-song expanse of “Unlimited Love” is an additional exercise in finessed focus and wild-eyed frenzy.
A quick game of compare/contrast is proof of Frusicante’s prowess and power. There for “Mother’s Milk” (1989) and the epic, emotional “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” (1991), but gone for “One Hot Minute” (1995).
There for the breadth of “Californication” (1999), “By the Way” (2002) and “Stadium Arcadium” (2006), but gone for the darkly nuanced likes of “I’m With You” (2011) and “The Getaway” (2016).Though the group’s two most recent albums before “Unlimited Love” were among its most tonic and even touching works, there was little from either album that really stuck to the ribs.
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