John Frusciante - Shadows Collide With People

Before we begin, let's get two possibly ugly facts out of the way. 1) John Frusciante IS the guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers. For whatever that means to you, good or bad, he is at least partially responsible for alot of the bands biggest hits including "Under the Bridge," "Breaking the Girl," and a load of others. 2) For those already familiar with Frusciante's solo work, it should be noted that this is his most heavily produced and cleanest sounding record to date. Even the previous release To Record Only Water for Ten Days does not match the professional sounding level of recording that this release has accomplished. So, if you're still with us and don't have a problem with RHCP (there are some who are vehemently against them) and are into an artist expanding into new territories, you are probably in for a treat. John Frusciante's Shadows Collide With People is an enjoyable exercise in experimentation, even though that experiment involves particularly straight-ahead pop/rock songs. The disc is worth obtaining alone for the lead off track, "Carvel," an almost epic track with Frusciante's trademark fervent acoustic guitar, a touch of released anguish in his voice, and excellent usage of vintage keyboards and luscious harmonies. Other highlights on the disc are "Second Walk" - a very upbeat, extremely simple and straight-head (especially for Frusciante) rock song with a great guitar lead. "Wednesdays Song," "Regret," and "Time Goes Back" are all along the same vein of textured, emotional tracks teetering between rocking out and becoming full on ballad. Beyond specific songs, there are two big fundamental highlights on this disc that should be mentioned: First, the collaboration with long time pal Josh Klinghoffer, who not only has a voice the compliments Frusciante's perfectly, but obviously brings some ideas to the table that take the songs even further away from being too traditional. Second, the implementation of keyboards, loops, samples, and random noise. While most prevelant in songs like "Failure 33 Object," "Negative 00 Ghost 27," and "Water," you can feel the presence of these things throughout the album. While To Record Only Water... caught some flack for being too electronic and not organic enough, Shadows finds the perfect balance. Overall, Shadows Collide With People strikes me as the type of album that will certainly have a handful of songs that will grab you right off the bat but also has those sleeper deep cuts that you'll find yourself going for after you've had the album for awhile. John Frusciante is one hell of a prolific songwriter, and it's great to hear such a variety of tracks all with something good to offer. [www.johnfrusciante.com]