A Liberated Genius

So it has been reported that John Frusciante has quit Red Hot Chili Peppers. His previous departure in 1992 eventually led to Dave Navarro joining the group as his replacement. This lineup would make just one album, One Hot Minute (1995), an album that I didn't think was so bad, but was nearly unanimously rejected by fans and critics alike. Its hard for me to judge that record harshly anyway being that I generally find RHCP to be a far more than competent, but far less than exceptional, band. John Frusciante however, is most exceptional (not to knock Flea or Chad Smith, as they are great musicians in their own right).

Since kicking drugs, Frusciante has released several solo albums in addition to the work he's done with the Chili Peppers since rejoining them in 1998, a move that revitalized their career and solidified them in their 'rock god' status. While the albums RHCP released all featured big hits that have become FM radio staples in the 2000's, the songs themselves have all had a limpness to them. The majority of the blame can be placed on Anthony Kiedis's shoulders. The man who had once spit venom from his tongue on hard hitting, sexually charged numbers like "Give It Away" and "Suck My Kiss", but who could also find sympathy from the listener on reflective songs like "I Could Have Lied" and "Under The Bridge", has unfortunately taken the decade off. His vocals are phoned in versions of his past glories. His voice is still the same, but less passionate. His melodies on singles like "Californication" and "Zephyr Song" are unimaginative and obvious. The sound is warm and familiar but with no charisma. Likewise, RHCP's punchier numbers feel forced due to Kiedis's well worn delivery (see: "Can't Stop"; "Around The World").  Singles of theirs that are melodically more vibrant such as "Dani California" and "By The Way", have vocal melodies that when observing Frusciante's solo work, are more than likely molded by him.

While Kiedis falls flat, Frusciante wins the race and does a second go-around for fun. His voice is one of the most underrated in music today. While his range mainly jumps from middle ground to falsetto, his dynamics knock most of his contemporaries through a loop. While his mid-range will tremble, he'll quickly dart to a scream that growls as opposed to shrieks. His high notes will lilt and sway, something that can often be heard in Chili Peppers songs which often would form a nice juxtaposition with Kiedis's monotone.


For me, Frusciante's allegiance to the Chili Peppers has always been a burden. Frusciante's poppier hooks have always tended to be used for his band, while his more cerebral, ambitious ideas have defaulted to his solo albums leaving them painfully uneven. His crowning achievement, Shadows Collide With People (2004), seemed to be his attempt at saving some of that pop sensibility for himself while still being able to do things he could never do in RHCP, most particularly his usage of analog synthesizers. Since then he's used his solo output as a way of trying out new things, usually taking a different sound approach on each record. With his departure from Red Hot Chili Peppers, we can now hope to see a clear headed John Frusciante, as he can now put his efforts in the right place as opposed to carrying the weight of a band that has long since plateaued.

sidenote: Frusciante's replacement is apparently Josh Klingoffer, who has worked extensively with Frusciante on nearly all of his solo albums. Strange? Sort of.