Before you listen to Jane's Addiction's new CD, do us (and yourself) a favour: Check out an old picture of yourself. Then go to the mirror and take a good, long look.

Are you exactly the same as you were 13 years ago? No? Not surprisingly, on Strays -- their first album of all-new material since 1990's Ritual de lo Habitual -- neither are Jane's Addiction.

Oh sure, the old familiar characteristics are still there: Perry Farrell's soaring, shamanic vocals; guitarist Dave Navarro's searing solos and aggressive metal-funk riffage; and drummer Stephen Perkins' rock-solid, understated grooves (bassist Eric Avery sat this one out, replaced here by former Alanis Morissette sideman Chris Chaney).

But on these 11 Bob Ezrin-produced tracks, those qualities have been are reconfigured and redeployed in pursuit of a distinctly different set of artistic goals. You won't find much here as organically hooky as Been Caught Stealing, or anything as punky as Stop, or anything as grandly monumental as Mountain Song. Instead, you'll find nearly 50 minutes of loosely structured, freewheeling songs that are more influenced by the trippy synth textures of electronica and the circular grooves of house music than by the angst of punk and the oomph of '70s rock.

With their stylish fusion of Zeppelinesque guitar crunge, infectious grooves and neo-psychedelic squiggles, these slickly techno-modern tunes sound more like a heavier Red Hot Chili Peppers or The Music than the Jane's of old. (Strangely, though, you have to wonder just how old some of these tracks are; the names of former Farrell collaborators like David J and Martyn LeNoble turn up in the credits with curious frequency.)

It's not as if these new cuts aren't worthy, mind you. The swaggering True Nature, the darkly powerful Strays, the fuzzy Superhero, the slinky Wrong Girl, the skittery Hypersonic and even the solar-powered rocker To Match the Sun have enough going for them to hook a new generation of Jane's addicts.

Older and more discriminating fans, however, may prefer to remember Jane's the way the were. (More on Jane's Addiction)

Track Listing
1. True Nature
2. Strays
3. Just Because
4. The Price I Pay
5. The Riches
6. SuperHero
7. Wrong Girl
8. Everybody's Friend
9. Suffer Some
10. Hypersonic
11. To Match The Sun