Stadium Arcadium

The title track, "Desecration Smile," and "She Looks To Me" finds them venturing further into laid back pop ballad territory, while the tricky rhythms of "Dani California," "Charlie," and "So Much I" eventually kick into familiar top gear on the pop-savvy "Tell Me Baby" and hip-hop seasoned "Storm in a Teacup." It's not that there's a paucity of musical adventure here ("If" and "Animal Bar" finds them wafting into Floydish neo-psychedelia while "Make You Feel Better" seems to channel no less than Joe Jackson) but that it's delivered with a subtlety--and dare we say it?--tasteful musical restraint that's a stark contrast to the band's early, overly overt nature. There's perhaps too much mid-tempo simmering and reflection going on; like most double-albums it could be focused into a much more compelling single disc. But that seems largely beside the Peppers' hooks-over-histrionics point here: an unlikely record to kick back to, and one that both challenges assumptions and eases the band into middle age with an oft languorous, if undeniably savory groove.

This deluxe edition contains a 90-minute bonus DVD featuring Tony Kaye's video (and a half-hour "making of" featurette) for "Dani California," a kaleidoscopic romp through rock history that finds the appropriately costumed and bewigged Peppers conjuring everything from early Elvis and British Invasion to P-Funk, Glam Metal, and Grunge. All four band members also participate in a casual, track-by-track discussion of the album that runs nearly an hour. --Jerry McCulley