The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Seeing Double

In 2022, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are having fun. After Unlimited Love released in April 2022, the Californians follow up, seven months later, with Return Of The Dream Canteen, certainly their best album for a long time. Why? Because its live, raw, stripped-down side plunges us into a tremendous, hypercontrolled jam session with one of the worlds greatest bands.

Of course, the two records were recorded at the same time. But the Red Hot clearly tried to deliver two distinct musical intentions. And it works. Obviously, it's impossible to escape their teenage delirium about "high school" and boring teachers on the single Eddie, but the exciting thing is that this second part is all Stratocaster, with a lot of audacious ideas being thrown around.

There are for example two tracks based on electronic drums, My Cigarette (which almost reminds one of Prince), and the ballad In The Snow dressed up with TR-808 cowbell. Surprising and pleasant choices are made that blend with the usual Red Hot irony, like on Peace and Love, the whispered pop delirium of Shoot Me A Smile, and of course the essential funk-rock desires on Afterlife or on the single Tippa My Tongue. Like its predecessor, Return Of The Dream Canteen is produced by the bearded Rick Rubin who obviously pushed the band to ditch the 'frills', and contributed to make this Red Hot Chili Peppers record a great success in terms of composition and arrangements.