Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has drafted some of the top players from the left-of-center jazz world for his first full-length solo album, which will be released at some point next year by Nonesuch. The lead track, “A Plea,” is out now, in tandem with a video directed by the artist’s daughter, Clara Balzary.
The song is instrumental for almost its first four minutes, but proceeds to tack on another four featuring the purple-haired, 63-year-old Flea’s spoken word-style vocals about the bitterly divided current state of the world.
The musician says the lyrics tap into “yearning for a place beyond, a place of love, for me to speak my mind and be myself. I’m always just trying to be myself. I don’t care about the act of politics. I think there is a much more transcendent place above it where there’s discourse to be had that can actually help humanity, and actually help us all to live harmoniously and productively in a way that’s healthy for the world. There’s a place where we meet, and it’s love.”
“A Plea” finds Flea backed by bassist Anna Butterss, Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker, drummer Deantoni Parks, longtime David Byrne percussionist Mauro Refosco, flute player Rickey Washington, trombonist Vikram Devasthali, vocalist Chris Warren and saxophonist Josh Johnson, who also produced.
Flea’s only prior solo release was the 2012 EP Helen Burns, proceeds from which benefited the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. Outside of the Chili Peppers, he’s also been a member of Thom Yorke’s Atoms for Peace and contributed his talents to recordings by Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Warren Zevon, Joe Strummer, Alanis Morissette and the Mars Volta, among many others.
