Return of the Dream Canteen
by Red Hot Chili Peppers
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 54
  3. Negative: 6 out of 54
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  1. SooperChris86
    Oct 14, 2022
    9
    Probably their best since Stadium Arcadium. They are clearly enjoying themselves this year and so am I.
  2. AlanSully
    Oct 17, 2022
    10
    This album is quality from start to finish. Every band member takes it up a level. It’s creative, it’s funky, it’s everything you would expect from the Chili Peppers after reuniting with John F. For me it’s the best album since Stadium Arcadium. Highlights include Eddie, Bella, Roulette, Bag of Grins and Carry me home.
  3. richarddoorlag
    Oct 14, 2022
    10
    It's like they picked up right where Stadium Arcadium left off. John on guitar and Rick Rubin producing is a hard to beat combination.
  4. GarethByrne
    Oct 20, 2022
    10
    Groovy and funky as fu@k, more experimental and out there, and all the better for it.
  5. Tom_Supreme
    Oct 14, 2022
    9
    Unlimited Love was just training, Dream Canteen is the real deal. Their best work since Stadium Arcadium.
  6. Shrimpy
    Oct 14, 2022
    10
    Too bad E diddy shrimp is a clown and can’t see good music with his own eyes and stuff. This is easily their best since Stadium Arcadium. UL was good but this is great. Better bass by Flea throughout better guitar shreds by Fruciante as well as better harmonizing. Anthony’s vocals sound better here as well.
  7. thegetaway
    Oct 15, 2022
    10
    The last time these four guys took me on a musical trip this powerful was Stadium Arcadium. I thought Unlimited Love was great and an album where the band were striving to write great songs, if not on the level of their best work, but I can confidently say that Return of the Dream Canteen finds the band reaching heights they had not reached since Stadium Arcadium. Once again, these fourThe last time these four guys took me on a musical trip this powerful was Stadium Arcadium. I thought Unlimited Love was great and an album where the band were striving to write great songs, if not on the level of their best work, but I can confidently say that Return of the Dream Canteen finds the band reaching heights they had not reached since Stadium Arcadium. Once again, these four guys are musical innovators, transcending what it means to make music. While Unlimited Love was the perfect comeback, finding them picking up where they left off with Frusciante, Return of the Dream Canteen is a brand new chapter. While Unlimited Love plays like a collection of great songs, Return of the Dream Canteen is a complete, immersive experience that needs to be heard as one for the complete picture, much like their 2002 masterpiece, By the Way.… Expand
  8. Marcodi14
    Oct 14, 2022
    9
    Far better than UL, really funk, Flea is doing some magic here again, Frusciante vocals are amazing as aways.
    And the wind instruments remember me de first albuns of the band.
    Love It!
  9. pusherman55
    Oct 15, 2022
    10
    Exactly the album I wanted when hearing Frusciante was returning. UL was really good, but this might just blow it out of the water…
  10. lobmo78
    Oct 14, 2022
    9
    Blows Unlimited Love away, easily their best work since Stadium! This sounds like a proper return to that RHCP sound, and is a proper sequel to Stadium Arcadium. The first album I bought, listened to it twice trying to get a groove for it, couldn't. Got this one on day one and I am on my second run through it enjoying everything about it. The sonics of the album sound like a high fidelityBlows Unlimited Love away, easily their best work since Stadium! This sounds like a proper return to that RHCP sound, and is a proper sequel to Stadium Arcadium. The first album I bought, listened to it twice trying to get a groove for it, couldn't. Got this one on day one and I am on my second run through it enjoying everything about it. The sonics of the album sound like a high fidelity Stadium Arcadium, the guitar and vocal tones sound like they haven't aged a day in the almost 17 years since. The melodies are memorable, solo's well thought out, and the BG vocals are something only Frusciante could deliver. My only critique is the My Cigarette sounds like it belongs on the UL. A little too digital, and probably one a left over Frusciante synth track.

    Makes me hope that album three will revisit BSSM.    … Expand
  11. bhaveshpawaskar
    Oct 17, 2022
    4
    Album is all over the place. Missing Josh's magic on last two albums. Songs are good but just average sounds like Statium Arcadium nothing new and creative. This needs to be heard, Josh may not be as good as John in guitar playing, but he put out two good albums but unfortunately, all he got was heavy criticism. Dark Necessities is one of the greatest rock songs of the new RHCP era. ItsAlbum is all over the place. Missing Josh's magic on last two albums. Songs are good but just average sounds like Statium Arcadium nothing new and creative. This needs to be heard, Josh may not be as good as John in guitar playing, but he put out two good albums but unfortunately, all he got was heavy criticism. Dark Necessities is one of the greatest rock songs of the new RHCP era. Its really sad, no matter what happens John just walks in whenever he wants and gets replaced immediately and he wouldnt even play any RHCP songs live??? Like you quit twice mate. Have some respect for the band and someome who replaced you and kept the band alive while you were gone away. You wouldnt be thabkful and playing if Josh wasn't there for all these years. John is a better guitarist but Josh is a great musician and a good human being overall. They surely had a good future with Josh but the songs and the last two albums says it all. Very upsetting and sad.… Expand
  12. lorentdenis
    Oct 16, 2022
    10
    This is "easily" their best work, including UL, since the masterpiece Stadium Arcadium. Welcome back John !
  13. Dallosky
    Oct 17, 2022
    7
    RHCP as they have been for 20 years : Great stuff mixed with lots of fillers, uneven and sometimes boring tracks. But overall, if we mix the best stuff of their last 2 albums, we get a pretty decent, groovy and funky album, with lots to enjoy. Fewer is better guys, please find someone who will guide you in keeping some of it for LPs or Deluxe albums.
  14. tschrky
    Oct 17, 2022
    8
    The album title says it all – this is the LP I've been waiting for since By the Way, my favorite RHCP record.

    The Return of the Dream Canteen isn't as bloated as Stadium Arcadium, while still managing to cover roughly the same terrain size, so one doesn't feel as overwhelmed by all the different detours and side trips. It's also more consistently fun than both stints with Josh    The album title says it all – this is the LP I've been waiting for since By the Way, my favorite RHCP record.

    The Return of the Dream Canteen isn't as bloated as Stadium Arcadium, while still managing to cover roughly the same terrain size, so one doesn't feel as overwhelmed by all the different detours and side trips. It's also more consistently fun than both stints with Josh Klinghoffer (though The Getaway comes fairly close), and while it doesn't have a track as ecstatic as "The Heavy Wing", it beats Unlimited Love just for the fact that it doesn't contain a major clunker like "She's a Lover", my least favorite RHCP song since "Pea".

    The worst song on ROTDC, "Afterlife", sounds pretty much like a SA leftover, but it's still miles better than "She's a Lover" since it doesn't have an overcooked chorus and an ugly guitar sound at the end. "My Cigarette" and "Copperbelly" would be the other two not-all-that interesting tunes here for me, but at least they were trying something different with the former, and while the latter's chorus gives me "One Way Traffic" vibes, the song overall manages to stand on its own and is catchy enough.

    That's pretty much it for the gripes – the rest of the LP I think is stellar. Yes, some moments of déjà vu do pop up here and there (and they're mostly related to Stadium Arcadium), but that's bound to happen I suppose—especially since RHCP have been using the melodic-alternative-rock-with-the-occasional-funk-workout blueprint since Californication, to various degrees of success.

    My personal favorite tracks are "Roulette", with its yacht rock guitar licks and grooves; the feel-good "Shoot Me a Smile", which would've fit nicely on BTW; "La La La La La La La La", whose verses kinda remind of what Paul Weller was doing circa Saturn's Pattern; and the closer "In the Snow", a six-minute electro-rock/post-punk hybrid with spoken word passages.

    As for the group members themselves, they're all doing their usual thing...and they do not disappoint. Anthony Kiedis gives a really nuanced performance on "Eddie", a song that didn't do all that much for me initially, but it really thrives within the confines of the album. He can go from crooning to rhyme-spitting, depending on the track. John Frusciante is the MVP here, but he doesn't go overboard like he did on SA. Instead, he plays in a more understated fashion (not dissimilar to the one on BTW), and when he does show off, it makes sense due to the context ("Eddie"). And then we have Flea and Chad Smith, the ever-reliable rhythm section that holds it all together. None of them have a clear-cut standout moment to shine like they had on UL ("One Way Traffic", "The Heavy Wing"), but the LP is stronger for it.

    Lyrically, it's the same-old-same-old – a mix of pop-culture references, double entendres and personal stories. It may be gibberish to some, but I don't listen to RHCP for deep and profound lyrics.

    All in all, I'm very pleased with the result and if this ends up being their last album, I couldn't complain whatsoever because they would end on a high note.    … Expand
  15. Golbez
    Oct 17, 2022
    9
    They like to leave great stuff at the end of records showing pride in what art they’ve shared with us all. There is a rushed response to the album by many overpaid writers. I haven’t listened to enough it times yet but the majority of the songs keep rusting into retrospect that there is sheer good here
  16. erolsabadosh
    Oct 16, 2022
    9
    Excellent album! Arguably more cohesive and funkier than Unlimited Love although whether you like it more or less depends on the kind of Chilis you want. I'm amazed that they still have this much creativity left to be honest as a handful of these songs easily stand up to their best work. Frusciante absolutely SHREDS on this album! Anthony's vocals dip less often into cringe here (HandfulExcellent album! Arguably more cohesive and funkier than Unlimited Love although whether you like it more or less depends on the kind of Chilis you want. I'm amazed that they still have this much creativity left to be honest as a handful of these songs easily stand up to their best work. Frusciante absolutely SHREDS on this album! Anthony's vocals dip less often into cringe here (Handful is particularly guilty though) with some absolutely golden choruses and Chad and Flea are on fire throughout. Standout tracks for me are Peace & Love, Eddie, Roulette, Afterlife, Copperbelly & In the Snow.… Expand
  17. MusicGuyMack
    Nov 11, 2022
    7
    The consummate musical skill and chemistry that the Chili Peppers effortlessly radiate on "Return of the Dream Canteen" isn't always enough to compensate for the record's songs largely sounding derivative of their past hits, but the continued thrill of hearing the band's classic lineup back together in perhaps the grooviest, funkiest mood they've been in for years may prove just enough toThe consummate musical skill and chemistry that the Chili Peppers effortlessly radiate on "Return of the Dream Canteen" isn't always enough to compensate for the record's songs largely sounding derivative of their past hits, but the continued thrill of hearing the band's classic lineup back together in perhaps the grooviest, funkiest mood they've been in for years may prove just enough to satisfy fans.

    Choice Cuts: "Tippa My Tongue," "Peace and Love," "Eddie," "My Cigarette"    … Expand
  18. chuck_Vindaloo
    Nov 25, 2022
    10
    Yes!! they are back. This is Pure gold. The RHCP sound that I fell in love with 20 years ago. Frusciate (guitars) created that magic again, along with the vocals (kedis), drums (smith) and bass (Flea) are all on point. Who says rock is dead!! Love RHCP.
  19. santiago95
    Oct 14, 2022
    8
    ROTDC retorna al sonido tradicional de RHCP. Los slap de Flea, los riffs de John, los toques de batería de Chad, magia pura!

Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Most Discussed Album of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Pitchfork
    Oct 19, 2022
    63
    While some of these songs can feel regressive or at least undercooked on their own, they’re reframed by the open-hearted sadness that takes over the album’s second half.
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  2. The Telegraph (UK)
    Oct 14, 2022
    60
    Mildly soulful, rarely unpalatable, the Chili Peppers keep delivering American fast-food for the ears, even as they enter their sixties.
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  3. Sputnikmusic
    Oct 14, 2022
    68
    Return of the Dream Canteen is better overall than the previous effort. It might have a couple of higher sonic peaks, but suffers from similar flaws. Obviously, one hour-long album with the strongest tracks recorded in the past couple of years would have been enough for a stronger comeback.
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