In 1980, four funky freaks got together to make music that was unlike any heard before. Now, two guitar players and nine albums later, I am beginning to see what I thought would never happen. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are actually mellowing out. I became a fan of their music when “Californication” came out, and I started listening to the older albums. Their newest album has made some drastic changes, but in some songs the old Peppers' sound still shines through. In “By the Way,” they focus more on harmonies and less on funky beats and strong bass lines.

Many of the songs are of the same quality as those on their last album, “Californication,” such as “By the way,” which goes between sweet harmony and funky, fun beats that are reminiscent of songs like “Around the World.” Some of the songs, on the other hand, are unlike anything else they have done before. Songs like “The Zephyr Song” and “Throw Away Your Television,” with the use of synthesizer parts and songs like "Cabron," with its definite Spanish influences, show that they are changing, but the big question is, where is this change going?

They started out making fast funk rock music and slowly but surely have been mellowing out. The majority of songs on this album, such as “I Could Die For You” are slower love songs. Only one thing seems to show up in every song in this album: the harmonies. Every song has more intricate harmony than I have seen in most of their songs up to this point. “Californication” had some slower songs, but the ballads were the exception, not the rule.

John Frusciante and Flea do more than their part, especially in songs like “Throw Away Your Television” and “Cabron,” where the bass and guitar lines, as well as their own additions to the vocal harmonies, add to the texture of an already complex sound. Chad Smith still glues the pieces together with strong beats that complement that vocals and other instruments and Anthony Keidis’s strong clear vocals stand out as bright threads in their richly colored tapestry.Overall, this album could easily be compared to “Californication” in the sound of some of the songs, but even though the Peppers seem to have lost some of their bite, their music is evolving into something even better than it was before. This album is another step to wherever their sound is going and they are pulling everyone that listens to it along for the ride.