June 25, 2004
THE WILL TO DEATH
By DARRYL STERDAN

THE WILL TO DEATH
John Frusciante
(Warner)

There's a fine line between being prolific and being a pest.

Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist John Frusciante hasn't crossed it yet -- but he's definitely inching closer with The Will to Death, his second solo CD this year and one of several due in coming months.

A tender concept disc about love, loss and existence, Will to Death's dozen sketchy cuts contain the poetically confessional lyrics, organically flowing arrangements and basement-fi experimentalism that have already come to define Frusciante's solo approach. Which is a nice way of saying that if you've heard one of his discs, you've sorta heard them all.

But unless he plans to vary his routine a little -- or at least write some stronger choruses -- we might not need to hear many more.

Track Listing
1. A Doubt
2. An Exercise
3. Time Runs Out
4. Loss
5. Unchanging
6. The Mirror
7. A Loop
8. Wishing
9. Far Away
10. The Days Have Turned
11. Helical
12. The Will To Death