#1 on my list of Most Underrated Guitar (Rock) Albums of the Last 25 Years

I must admit, I have never been a Chili Peppers fan. With the exception of their brilliant cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" (from their 1989 album Mother's Milk), I'd always found something lacking in their music. The guitar playing seemed minimalistic and vague, although I have the same problem with U2 guitarist Edge's playing on every album after The Joshua Tree, so I'm certain this is just a matter of taste. When Peppers guitarist John Frusciante took a hiatus from the band in 1992, the addition of former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro (who can be heard with that band in the recent film Anger Management), created a marriage that produced a once in a lifetime, sonically amazing roller coaster ride of an album; one which is rivaled in terms of technical skill only by Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. The comparison of these two offerings is not pretentious; the scope of One Hot Minute is absolutely amazing. The Peppers shift easily between Funk, Hip Hop, Metal, Pop and Jazz (sometimes within the same song) while making all 13 tracks sound like a cohesive whole. Undertones of Middle Eastern and Classical music carry the listener from one song to the next, while a cacophony of seemingly random sounds and uniquely voiced instrumentation pushes and pulls beneath it all, like an undertow that you can feel but can't quite see. Somehow, sometimes in spite of itself, it all works.

This is obviously not an easy album to like; many people will find that, stylistically, the album's scope is just too broad. Familiarity with the material is key to liking it; it's simply too overwhelming to take in all at once. "Transcending", the album's closer, floats on air for the first half, then suddenly turns assaultive and angry. This is not radio friendly material for the most part, and it most certainly is not safe. It is, however, exciting and a refreshing change from the usual stale AB/AB/C type of songwriting. Of course, there are hits here; "My Friends" and "Tearjerker" (a song rumored to be about Kurt Cobain) received airplay, but they don't represent the album as a whole. No one or two songs could.

In terms of technical ability, the Peppers have never been better. They seamlessly utilize odd time signatures as well as any progressive band, and production by mainstay Rick Rubin is crisp and clear. Navarro, who has always been fond of experimenting with different guitar sounds, shows surprising reserve here. Seldom does he stray from more than a simple Wah and Chorus pedal setup. Occasionally there is a bit of delay added but, for the most part, the odd sounds you think you're hearing turn out to be the style of the music rather than any added effects. Flea, too, shines, popping and slapping bass notes one minute, hammering and pulling off the next, but always serving as a solid foundation and backing off where needed. Now if we could only get the man to stop singing, although I suspect the addition of his warbling, off-key vocal "Pea" was done to make regular vocalist Anthony Kiedis sound better by comparison. As for Kiedis, his lyrics have matured as well, while still retaining his unusual wit. "Coffee Shop" boasts the terrific couplet "Meet me at the coffee shop / We can dance like Iggy Pop" while, on a more serious note, the Agnostic "Shallow Be Thy Game" announces "Your Hell is something scary / I prefer a loving god", then continues "And what is worse / I do not serve in fear of such a curse". Personal and spiritual exploration are the intertwining themes on the album. The only true problem I have with the lyrics is the continuous stream of vulgarities. While I'm not a Puritan by any means, I do love to share great music with people, and this limits my ability to do so in this case. Nevertheless, the listener should be warned: this one is raunchy even by the Peppers' standards.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers go through guitar players like Spinal Tap went through drummers. Some, like current axeman John Frusciante, have been in and out of the band for years while others, like pre-One Hot Minute guitarist Jesse Tobias, were only around for a few months. If you have always found yourself on the verge of liking the band, Dave Navarro has given them the edge you just may be looking for on an album that ranks as #1 on my list of Most Underrated Guitar (Rock) Albums of the Last 25 Years.

Stay tuned for #2.