Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Grade: A-
By Matt Levine
 With their new effort, "Californication," the Red Hot Chili Peppers are back from a four
year hiatus and they sound better than they ever have before. That may sound like a
cliche, but "Californication" is the Peppers' best full-length album. While no songs of the
caliber of "Under the Bridge" reside on the album, the album itself consistently sends off
more mature, well-crafted funk-rock tunes that actually might not offend the average
teenager's mother. The band does not seem to concentrate on cacophony with lyrics
that only seem to show just how cool Anthony Kiedis thinks he is, like many of the
Peppers' previous album. Kiedis and the bunch show depth on this album. The Peppers
did that before with many of their ballads, but many of those ballads relied on essentially
the same rhythms and melodies. Really, can anybody tell the difference between
"Breaking the Girl" and "Soul to Squeeze?" The first single from the album, "Scar
Tissue," carries on that entire vibe, but the rest of the ballads on the album tend to stray
from that sound. The title track stands out as the best ballad and the best track overall
on the album because of its emotive backup and precise, well-flowing melodies.
"Californication" is softer, more laid-back record than the band's last effort, "One Hot
Minute" and takes the direction that the last album should have taken. This album
capitalizes on the band's strengths while improving weaknesses. The band exerts self-confidence on the album while showing its emotional side. While none of the songs on
the album resonate with greatness as much as "Under the Bridge" did, they take a good
cue from that epochal track.
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