Red Hot Chilli Peppers guitarist releases his fourth solo album, following 2001's 'To Record Only Water For Ten Days'. With recording coming out of his bedroom and taking place in a studio for the first time, the album is a varied collection of guitar-based pieces ranging from soft, folksy acoustic vignettes to rawer, more soulful electric work.

Dec 2003

The wayward Chili Peppers guitarist releases his fourth solo album and enlists the help of some familiar friends in the shape of fellow Chilis Chad Smith and Flea.

After the success of the last full band album ‘By The Way’ and Fruscinate’s third critically acclaimed album of 2001 ‘To Record Only Water For Ten Days’, anticipation for this release is at fever pitch.

Packed full of Frusiante’s unique guitar stylings and fragile vocal delivery this should be another huge success for the maverick star.

• Entertainment Weekly (2/27/04, p.96) - "[Frusciante] lives up to his image as the sweetly spaced-out Red Hot Chili Pepper with [this] set of squishy pop..." - Rating: B
  Mojo (3/04, p.95) - 4 stars out of 5 - "It's heavier and more unruly than anything that band ever attempted, with a sincerity the Peppers could never pull off."
  Uncut (3/04, p.99) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Frusciante has frequently been at the heart of most that is interesting about the Red Hot Chili Peppers....[A] surprisingly likeable collection."r
• Kerrang (14/02/04, p.55) - 4 (out of 5) - "...'Shadows Collide With People' is something worthy of celebration."

Personnel includes: John Frusciante (vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, bass, percussion); Josh Klinghoffer (vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, bass, percussion); Omar Rodriguez (slide guitar); Flea (upright bass); Chad Smith (drums, percussion); Charlie Clouser (programming).
Recorded at Cello Studios, Hollywood, California.
With his second solo album for Warner Bros., Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante makes good on the promise of his previous outing, TO RECORD ONLY WATER FOR TEN DAYS. While that album succeeded in showing that Frusciante had shaken the drug-induced self-indulgence of his utterly bizarre first two discs, SHADOWS COLLIDE WITH PEOPLE provides further evidence of the once-troubled guitarist's remarkable rehabilitation.
Of course, there's still plenty of room for Frusciante's experimental weirdness, but that quality is kept in check by an excellent set of tunes. Keyboards and electronics ebb and flow throughout these songs, but Frusciante's voice and guitar are the focus here, aided by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Josh Klinghoffer. Fellow Chili Pepper Chad Smith turns up on drums, while Flea contributes bass to the emotive closing track, "The Slaughter." Returning the favor of Frusciante's appearance on DE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM, Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez performs on two songs. From the quirky, Cure-like pop of "Omission" to the gentle swoon of "Ricky," SHADOWS is filled with surprisingly catchy melodies and harmonies--an intriguing album by one of rock's undeniably unique talents.