"to record only water for ten days" review

I came across this review on Amazon. It expresses what makes this album one of my favorites (although by trashing the music a little too much). 5/5 diamond in the rough, Jul 7 2004 Reviewer: "mmunoz718" (College Point, NY United States) I hated the Red Hot Chili Peppers until Californication. While Flea is amazing and the drummer and singer are solid, John Frusciante is the reason I gave them a chance. His story, not his music is what inspired me. They say he had destroyed himself to the point where he was unrecognizable, he had no teeth, his arms were scarred. I was drawn to the fact that while the rest of the guys were jumping around in their underwear, there was John off to the side totally engrossed in the music, wearing a long sleeve shirt, looking like a wild and peaceful hobo with a street-beard to cover his damaged skin. But the music was better than before; in fact better than the Peppers were capable of sounding. So when I found out about John's solo release I had to buy it. I hoped it would bring me closer to the experience of renewed hope that John had encountered. It seemed he had suffered something deeply spiritual. I played the CD and I thought it was terrible. But then on the fourth or fifth listen, the songs took on a different meaning. I found that when I looked past all the cheapness, the uninspiring cover art, the stupid title, the tinny drum tracks, the out of tune vocal parts, the meaningless lyrics and surprisingly simple guitar parts that there was something very special about it all. It was all the parts coming together to make a statement. Something like "I have tasted death" and have been given another chance. Like the rich man come back from hell to warn everybody. There was a real sorrow to it all. The man has soul in his music. It's not good. Don't get me wrong - but this is art and don't buy it unless you know how to enjoy the overlooked and the underappreciated aspects of something. This album is pretty bad - but that's the whole charm. If you can look past the dodgy surface and put up with a bit of ear torture you will eventually see the jewel and it will become one of your favorite pieces of art. Music for the soul not the ears.