Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Getaway

IT is hard to imagine a world without the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Their unique brand of rock and funk has been around for more than 30 years and key members singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea have been jamming together all that time.

Drummer Chad Smith has also been with the Chili Peppers since 1988 providing a bedrock of stability to a group that has arguably been rocked by guitarist John Frusciante's departure.

You can sense that chemistry between Kiedis, Flea and Smith in their 11th studio album, The Getaway.

And relative newcomer Josh Klinghoffer, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's youngest living inductee, proves himself with some deft guitar work on the likes of Goodbye Angels.

Other highlights include title track, The Getaway, which has that signature Chilis guitar sound, the typically catchy single, Dark Necessities, the tempo-swapping This Ticonderoga and the atmospheric, Dreams of a Samurai.

The band continue to strike that balance between experimentation and not straying too far from a winning formula.

Credit also goes to renowned producer Danger Mouse, who has worked with Gorillaz, Beck and The Black Keys. It is the first time the band have been without producer Rick Rubin since 1989.

But you do sense that the quartet are not leaving their comfort zone on some tracks that just float by without much substance.

Go Robot, for instance, only starts to get interesting during the fade-out.

If we are honest, the Chili Peppers' true glory days – the 90s era with Blood Sugar Sex Magik, One Hot Minute and Californication – are long behind them.

They have lost that edge.

But Flea remains one of the best bassists in the business and Kiedis has one of the most distinctive voices.

These are not the glory days but if there is a world without the Chili Peppers, I do not want it.

DAVID MORGAN