The Red Hot Chili Peppers...what can I say that hasn't already been said? Well, I can say this: When this LP dropped in 1999 I passed it up...I didn't think they'd ever live up to the promise of their trifecta (Uplift the Mofo Party Plan, Mother's Milk and BloodSugarSexMagic), so when I got back to LA, I took my time copping a CD to check...I eventually did but a string of dark events in 2001 precipitated an on-the-fly exodus from my crib over on Cherokee Ave, just off of Hollywood Boulevard and that album, Californication, got lost in the shuffle, I never got a replacement copy...the other day, I saw a CD in the library and picked it up, I found that I'm now in a place to take it all in...I never thought that Anthony Keidis could sing but he's managed to fit into the Chili Pepper mix quite snugly, thanks to Flea's bass playing (and the miracles of modern technology) so I won't hate on him-- he's perfect for his milieu...I love my adopted state as much as a Southerner can but I'll tell you, the title track got on my nerves because stations like Star 98 played that shit to death ("Scar Tissue" and "Otherside" too) but I've long ceased tuning in to the radio like I did back then, so I was primed for a little reunion with the LP....I find myself drawn to the softness of "Porcelain", the bass-poppin', slap-tacular simplicity of "I Like Dirt" and "Right On Time" which is one of two tracks that take a look back to Blood Sugar Sex' Magic-- on which Rick Rubin began to utilize his powers as the Grand Poobah of bringing artists back to their form, what an ear that guy has...the tune below manages to capture a little of that story-telling pixie dust that we found on "Under the Bridge"...for some reason it just dawned on me that the title is an inversion of Summer Time...duh...
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