John Frusciante (of The Red Hot Chili Peppers) new album is called The Empyrean which is the highest point in heaven.  With tracks like “God” and “Heaven”, it seems like John has found a place of peace musically and mentally.  The album goes through many moods and is constantly changing.  It demonstrates John Frusciante’s ability to compose and produce at the same time.  Thank you to Flea for playing on this album.  His playing is like jelly to John’s peanut butter.

Laden with pianos and guitars heavy with reverb, the album does have an earthy aura.  A cover of Tim Buckley “Song to the Siren” sounds close vocally.  The basis is there, but John adds keyboards and airy guitar effects that give it more of a Pink Floyd and spacey feel.  Anyone that would try to sing like Tim must have balls.  On the track “God” he continues with his spacey emotions, but then goes into a more Medeski, Martin, & Wood jazz type of groove.  He continues to build upon the groove with some heavy guitar and then a beautifully plucked melody in the background.  “Dark Light” begins with keyboards and John’s voice engulfed in reverb.  Again John decides to travel into a completely different direction by going into a groove with Flea and singing in his falsetto voice a-la “Under The Bridge” but with more of a gospel sound.

John plays some of his best solos on this album.  The album starts off with a track (“Before the Beginning”) which builds from a single guitar to an insane guitar solo.  It sounds like if Eric Clapton and The Velvet Underground got together.  “Unreachable” sounds like a hark back to his former song “Going Inside”, but with drums and more upbeat.  The solo sounds like Jimi Hendrix rose from the dead.  Filled with trills and Hendrix wah sounds, the guitar solo builds into a beautiful melodic ending.