Anyone who has followed rock and roll has heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers at some point. From Los Angeles, California, USA, the band is so iconic that throughout their long and illustrious career, they have not only won the hearts of millions of listeners across the world but also inspired and influenced countless musicians across every possible style and genre. In my opinion, the band is definitely a continual masterclass on every aspect of music, from songwriting to playing, production to performance. RHCP can easily be described as a supergroup where every member, past and present, is a master of individual art and craft, and collectively, what they have done, song after song, album after album, is nothing short of magical.
And in that supergroup, there is the one and only Superman — the eccentric and flamboyant genius bass player and founding member (along with vocalist Anthony Kiedis), Flea. After all this time, full-time musician and part-time actor Michael Peter Balzary a.k.a Flea has released his debut solo album Honora, which blends multiple styles of music to create a single distinctive sound which can only be identified as “The Flea Sound”. A rocker with the soul of a jazzman and the swagger of a funk musician, Flea has set the benchmark of experimental music very high globally. Honora is definitely an album which will go down as a classic in the history of pop culture.
Originally a trumpet player and growing up listening to jazz, Flea’s love for jazz is omnipresent throughout the album, which features six original songs along with covers/tributes of songs originally written by Eddie Hazel and George Clinton, Jimmy Webb, Frank Ocean and Shea Taylor, and Ann Ronell.
Flea provides lead vocals, bass and trumpet. Thom Yorke and Nick Cave provide guest vocals. Johnson performs saxophone and keyboards, and the backing band features guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Deantoni Parks, with additional contributions from Mauro Refosco and Nathaniel Walcott, as well as two other members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante and Chad Smith.
Honora opens with a haunting sci-fi soundtrack-style intro, Golden Wingship, and launches straight into a slick cyclical bass groove that lays the foundation of the second song, A Plea. A message of protest against global politics and manipulation, this song is as powerful as it is moody, ambient and musically complex. The arrangement is grand, funky, filled with a rich horn section, which provides a beautiful contrast to the raw power and punk sensibility, and the overall vibe is pretty much a reflection of the Southern California sound and sensibility.
The next song, Traffic Lights features Radiohead singer-songwriter Thom Yorke and saxophone player Josh Johnson. It has that typical gloomy, melancholic soundscape that you would expect from Thom Yorke, but it still maintains a very cool and hip treatment that one can expect from musicians of such high calibre. I personally find the lead guitar by Jeff Parker absolutely stunning! It really stands out as a feature; a very high level of jazz guitar playing indeed.
Frailed is one of my personal favourites. In this instrumental tune, Flea takes a dive into the ambient zone. Mixing elements of trip hop, lounge, new jazz and electronica, this tune, clocked at 10 minutes 51 seconds, pretty much leans towards the European headspace that I have experienced in my career, which I am a big fan of. The viola and alto flute by Warren Ellis are an absolute treat to the ears.
This is followed by another instrumental tune, Morning Cry, which is deliberately a bit schizophrenic yet playful in its treatment. It has elements of swing and classic bebop, but the drums provide a dead straight pattern, which adds beautifully to the juxtaposition. Flea really shines on the trumpet with his sense of writing melodic and rhythmic passages, and the upright bass by Anna Butterss just adds the right kind of flavour to the mixture.
The next tune is Maggot Brain. Originally written by Eddie Hazel and George Clinton for Funkadelic, this cover version by Flea is a completely fresh take. Flea has kept all the chordal movements of the original intact, and replaced the screaming lead guitar with his trumpet, which he does exceptionally well. What a tribute! Wichita Lineman is another tribute, originally composed by Jimmy Webb for country singer Glenn Campbell. The standout of Flea’s version is undoubtedly the deep, harrowing vocals of Nick Cave, which add an extra sense of gravitas and emotional depth to the song. This version is bound to give you literal goosebumps!
The other two tributes are Thinkin Bout You by R&B singer Frank Ocean (composed by Frank Ocean and Shea Taylor) and Willow Weep for Me, composed by Ann Ronnell. Now the former is a hip hop/R&B tune released in 2018, and the latter is a jazz classic written in 1932. Flea presents two absolutely unique instrumental versions of these, where he has kept the basics of the original tunes, but completely made them his own in terms of thought process, treatment, mood shifts and presentation.
It actually highlights the depth in Flea’s musical genius, his understanding and knowledge of music in all its aspects, be it technical or aesthetic. The finale of the album is Free As I Want To Be, which is a grand psychedelic sign-off. The whole band keeps the vocal chant of the title on a loop as the centre skeleton and dives into an eclectic jam of ideas, rhythms, melodies and textures. Once again, guitarist Jeff Parker stands out with his musical expertise.
In conclusion, Honora is as Flea as it gets. It is a definitive representation of the man himself — genius, maverick, intricate, meditative, eccentric, contemplative, honest. Honora is definitely an album to listen to much more than once, something that can serve you as a life companion. It is self-reflective, carries the essence of volumes of experience and maturity, and yet is raw, unfiltered and soulful in its own unique way. A must-have in your library, whether you are a musician or a serious listener.
Flea picture: Getty Images