Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers > Reviews > I want to be Californicated

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	Cover is excellent, Inlay is helpful,
Disadvantages:	Had alot of bad press

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I have heard many people bad mouth this album with the constant call of 'It's not as good as the rest', 'the Chilli's are slipping'. Well allow me to say if this is slipping then what they are coming from is an entirely different level to anything any other bands have ever reached. I have heard some of the older chilli’s stuff, but to be honest (with the exception of under the bridge and aeroplane') this one takes the cake. This is an excellent album and definitely worth the 15.99 I had to shell out for it. Not only is the cover and inlay an artistic Andy Warhol esque masterpiece but once you take away the work of art surrounding the little silver disk, what is inside it another masterpiece. From the minute I put it in and 'All around the world' started up, I knew this album was something extra-ordinary. Look at some of the tracks contained, 'Road Trippin' 'Easily' Scar Tissue' 'Other side' and the sublime 'Californication' leaves me in confusion as to how people can say this is anything but an excellent album. Admittedly there are a few songs which a Chilli's fan would look at and think...what are you up to lads? 'Get on top' and 'Porcelain' are two such examples which spring to mind here. But 'Porcelain' is the chilli's attempt, and successful one at that, to show they can move away from hard rock and try for a soul-full love ballad. Porcelain is excellently written and composed, and is most certainly not the weak link on this album.

But I’m not here to defend the Chilli's move into a different musical style here, I am reviewing the album, and to be honest for a neutral fan of music this is a delight to listen to and is infact ambrosia to the ear, providing you fast-forward through 'Get on top' this could and should be a contender for album of the year. The title track 'Californication' brought this album kicking and screaming to the front and deservedly so, and absolutely excellent song that it is. But the only error that the Chilli's made was not to release it first, although the rest of the album is excellent, 'Californication' has the mass appeal that could have brought the deserved exposure to the preceding songs such as 'Scar Tissue'.

Californication (the album) is absolutely excellent, maybe a let down to chilli's fans but a blessing to the rest of us, more like it I say.