Defy Magazine

04th March 2004, from defymagazine.com

“Red Hot Chili Peppers could not exist in the realm of rock and roll admiration if it weren’t for the melodically emphatic talents of their lead guitarist, John Frusciante.”

Side projects can open doors of artistic truancy to any artist who has had his or her identity rooted in the band of which they are attempting to springboard from. Any successful side project catapults the artists’ true inner musician by both abstaining from the preconceived formula while at the same time, reminding us what the artist directly contributed to the sound of their original group. In John Frusciante’s case, his side project efforts have been a collapsed consolidation of advanced musical depth streamed over three previous solo albums that have, to this point, neglected any lessons to be learned from them. Well Frusciante’s time of solo significance has come with his new release titled, Shadows Collide With People (Warner Bros. 2004).

This album illustrates an important lesson about one of the biggest bands of the 1990’s. The lesson being that Red Hot Chili Peppers could not exist in the realm of rock and roll admiration if it weren’t for the melodically emphatic talents of their lead guitarist, John Frusciante. The blanket of integrity that has comforted the Chili Peppers journey to rock dominance was largely crouched by Frusciante’s guitar wizardry. The 18 track Shadows Collide with People, is a blended concoction of folk singer pageantry with post new-wave electronic mischief. Together it is a sneakily intoxicating cocktail that leaves little hangover. Short, emotional pop segways are scattered across the landscape of the album and they nicely deviate from the typical rock outline to instigate strong gusts of poetically correct vignette breezes. Frusciante exploits his improved vocal abilities and it asserts the notion that he is a humbly talented musician with a lot of stories to tell; this is seen most in songs, “Regret” and “Cut Out.”

Another of Frusciante’s standout improvements is the arrogance that comes with the ability to capture an honest mood throughout the album - meaning that Shadows Collide with People comes fully equipped with a distinct design. Who would have guessed that a member of RHCP could sound so dramatically catastrophic while also creating a suitable aura of suspense? Think for a second that Sigur Ros was a rock band that knew how to play a mean guitar and spoke a common language, this album would sound similar to that due to Frusciante’s indulgences into the twisted world of drum machines and varied techno effects.

If you are looking for a hit single in this album, thankfully your search will render you disappointed. Instead, Frusciante’s fourth, and most dignified solo effort will most likely burrow a home in the land of the obscure yet important outtakes of musical development. But if what you are looking for is an understanding of RHCP’s fortifying principles, listen to this melodic heavy album and you’ll wind up discovering a new found thankfulness for John Frusciante.

(3.5 stars)

—Andre Martinez