New Album Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers- Unlimited Love

Red Hot Chili Peppers- Unlimited Love

Label: Warner

Producer: Rick Rubin

The twelfth studio album, and first since 2016, marks two pivotal returns to the fold of Red Hot Chili Peppers. First, long-time producer Rick Rubin returns to the helm after sitting out that aforementioned predecessor, The Getaway. Even more significantly, Unlimited Love marks the return of revered guitarist John Frusciante after a decade absence from the band whose sound he helped define during their commercial peak. It’d be false to say that these returns are a revitalization for the band, given that the Peppers have remained one of the rock world’s most reliably consistent groups across their entire career. But, one can’t help but feel an added spark of electricity from the moment the record commences with lead single, “Black Summer”, an immediate entry in the Peppers’ upper-echelon of epic singles, and a glorious showcase for both Frusciante’s unmistakable guitar work as well as the legendarily expressive vocal work of bandleader, Anthony Kiedis. Like so many of the group’s greatest records, those two qualities remain the definitive, foundational pillars as Unlimited Love unfolds, revealing itself to be vastly deep well of powerful songs, with an emotional intensity only further elevated given the uncertain time of lockdown that it was crafted. This nugget should not cause one to mistake this as a quarantine record however. It’s one meant to be played loud and recreated in the same stadium setting that has transcended the band’s catalog to the stratosphere. It only takes one listen to instantly infectious jams like the brassy “Aquatic Mouth Dance”, rapid-fire “One Way Traffic” or the funk-roots revival “She’s A Lover” before you can already hear the live crowd coming unglued against Kiedis’ acrobatic vocal tricks, Frusciante’s virtuosic guitar wizardry, and of course Flea’s bass mastery. Once again, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ have delivered electrifying and deeply resonant reminder of how great modern rock can still be. This is another excellent watershed moment in the Peppers pipeline, and one whose love most certainly deserves to be unlimited.

Track Listing:

1. “Black Summer” (Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith)
2. “Here Ever After” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
3. “Aquatic Mouth Dance” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
4. “Not the One” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
5. “Poster Child” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
6. “The Great Apes” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
7. “It’s Only Natural” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
8. “She’s A Lover” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
9. “These Are the Ways” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
10. “Whatchu Thinkin'” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
11. “Bastards of Light” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
12. “White Braids & Pillow Chair” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
13. “One Way Traffic” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
14. “Veronica” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
15. “Let ‘Em Cry” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
16. “The Heavy Wing” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)
17. “Tangelo” (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith)