All the signs should be that the Chili Peppers are turning into parodies of themselves. Surely there comes a time when swaggering funk-metal, featuring ludicrous amounts of tattoos, slappy bass lines and yet more songs about California becomes outdated?
You'd have thought so, but the Chilis remain masters of this kind of stuff, and Dani California is enormously enjoyable. John Frusciante is on outrageously good form here, contributing a guitar solo that's likely to be one of the best you'll hear all year, while Flea's bassline is guaranteed to have everyone moving. It's not quite got the arresting energy that By The Way possessed in spades, but it's still a highly listenable slab of FM rock.
The lyrics cleverly shout back to past singles (sharp eared listeners will remember "Dani the girl is singing songs to me" from By The Way and she's also apparently the subject of Californication), and Anthony Kiedis delivers them in his usual breathless fashion. The perfect song to welcome in the summer months, and a fine taster for the upcoming double album.
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