Five Things That Could Go Wrong With The New Red Hot Chili Peppers Album

This one, we kind of actually support, but we're guessing that many Chili Peppers fans would see it as a negative. Suppose Chad Smith's time with Sammy Hagar, working in the supergroup Chickenfoot inspires the group to write some ill-fitting Cabo Wabo tequila-fueled jams? Some of the song titles, like 'Even You Brutus,' already sound like Hagar co-writes.

You can tell a lot sometimes about an album, just by looking at the song titles. So if we look at the track listing for 'I'm With You,' there's reason for a bit of worry. Songs named 'Annie Wants A Baby,' 'Happiness Loves Company' and 'The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie' make us sigh big time. On top of that, there's no way to reasonably expect that 'Brendan's Death Song' will be an upbeat toe-tapper, is there?

Red Hot Chili Peppers struggled mightily before, when two-time former guitarist John Frusciante first departed from the group in the early' 90s. Now that he's out again, the jury is waiting to pass judgment on how the new era of Peppers music with replacement guitarist Josh Klinghoffer will shape up. One thing that bodes well – Klinghoffer is a longtime friend and collaborator of Frusciante. So perhaps the new guy will link well with the band's past after all? (We don't want the album to be bad, let's be clear.)

While many old-school fans hope RCHP might actually rock out a bit more this time out, which they came close to doing occasionally on 'Stadium Arcadium,' the cover photo somehow makes us doubtful. Looking at the artwork, we think of a couple of things. One, the mosquito might signify that you'll get musical malaria if you listen to this album. Two, there ain't enough No-Doz on the planet to keep you awake for the duration of this potential snoozefest.

Fans hoping that the Chili Peppers might recapture the glory days of 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik,' arguably the last great RHCP album (or the beginning of the end, depending on your viewpoint), could once again wind up sadly disappointed. What happens if, 20 years after that groundbreaking release, instead of making another great, innovative album, the Chili Peppers instead plod forward with more 'Under the Bridge' soundalikes, as they've done on recent efforts?