The Red Hot Chili Peppers is the last universal band. Your mother likes them, your brother likes them, and the hermit you shared your freshman dorm room with owns several of the group's albums.

The band can excite the better part of a generation by simply returning. Since 1999, when the Peppers restored its current lineup, the group has been making up for time lost in the '90s when guitarist John Frusciante's departure and singer Anthony Kiedis' drug escapades prevented its making additional, better albums following 1991's "Blood Sugar Sex Magik."

In "Stadium Arcadium" — the third consecutive album since reuniting — the band has hit a creative stride, taking the charm of "Californication" and matured musical talent of "By The Way" and making some of its best music to date.

The album kicks off to a promising start with the single "Dani California," a likable single about the same fictional girl described in the song "Californication" as the "teenage bride with a baby inside."

Kiedis' playful storytelling on the track is matched only by Frusciante's fantastic end solo — a theme that rings true throughout the album.

Frusciante's guitar on "Especially in Michigan" makes Kiedis' description of his state of birth — "double chins and bowling pins, unholy Presbyterians" — sound positively glorified, soaring and soloing high above the driving bassline.

The echoing, flirtatious riff in "Snow (Hey Oh)" fits perfectly with Kiedis' peaceful reflection on the fact that he's still alive after so many years of evading death.

But age hasn't made the Peppers' music less vital. Whatever was lost of the band's youthful insanity is made up for by staying adventurous and unpredictable.

In "21st Century," one of the album's best songs, Kiedis seems to sing with his chest puffed up, his bold vocals jumping in sync with the frenzied bass and funk guitar to make an irresistibly catchy song.

"Desecration Smile" is a rolling, feel-it-in-your-bones rock song made for rambling highway scenes. "Tell Me Baby," the album's second single, balances Flea's bass beating, Frusciante's cheerful high notes and Kiedis' goofy delivery into a solid pop package.

Sparse on "Californication," Frusciante builds on the momentum he had on "By The Way" and makes "Arcadium" his album. While the man responsible for the unforgettable riff in "Under the Bridge" has always been an extraordinary guitarist, never before has he embraced his talent so confidently.

With the new ground the band is covering, there are also songs that hold the classic Chili Peppers spirit. "She's Only 18" could have easily been on the same album as "Catholic School Girls Rule."

There are some not-so-good tracks. Closing out disc one, "Hey" is bland and mildly interesting at best, and "If" is borderline sappy.

The overwhelming majority of the songs on the album, however, are excellent and true to the unparalleled sound that made the Peppers so influential in the first place.