Stone Temple Pilots-(2018)

You know when I had heard of STP getting yet another lead singer and taking another run at it “Bored” came to my mind especially when I read that new singer Jeff Gutt was a contestant on those  American Idol like shit shows.

Basically I thought STP might be cooked for good….

I know the previous two singers had passed away (Weiland & Chester Bennington) so my mind was thinking in terms of change it up by band name and make it interesting. Play the old stuff of course but give the STP moniker a break.

See there lies the problem as the general public would know the STP name over say  a new band name like “Flipper Flanagan”**

Course when Eric Kretz/ Dean and Robert DeLeo were having trouble with Weiland back in the 90’s the DeLeo’s along with Kretz formed two different bands at the time one being Talk Show the other being Army of Anyone which both tanked and were commercial failures.

So twice they tried and twice they failed so I see why they don’t want to go down that path yet again!

Fellow Blog Pal John T Snow was one of the first reviews I read of the current STP album I won’t go into detail about it. How about I link it and you can read it.  Pretty cool that John has a family connection to the recording of the STP album. Go ahead don’t be shy click and read!

https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/108354920/posts/24770

Another Fellow Blog Pal J is a huge fan of these guys when Weiland was fronting the band. Actually J is a huge Weiland Fan period! J through the comments I read is having a hard time digging/getting into this release as at times it sounds like the old STP sound.

I get what J is saying. I am nowhere near the huge STP fanboy that J is but I do dig their stuff. I totally get it on where J is coming from as when Bruce Dickinson left Iron Maiden back in 1993 I was bummed out. I invested a lot as a  Maiden Fan Boy by that point since 1981 into Maiden. Huge drag but I spun the positive as Bruce and Maiden would both be putting out product. So perhaps It would be a win win.

Kinda not really. Maiden of course got Blaze Bailey put out two albums (X Factor and Virtual XI) while Bruce stuck out solo albums.

Maiden I will give them credit changed a musical course with Bailey as he was the exact opposite of Bruce. Fair enough. I bought those two Blaze records. While X Factor was not a bad album Virtual XI lost the plot for me as the songs were so-so. Bruce on the other hand-made more Maiden sounding like solo albums like Accident of Birth and The Chemical Wedding. I was onboard with what Bruce solo was doing.

Course Bruce rejoined Maiden and all is good if not better that the 80’s..

Sorry for the Maiden ramble but I just wanted you the reader to know I get it when someone in a band you dig bolts off and it’s just never the same.

Back to STP…

Ok…I like this record. Too be honest it took forever for lead single Meadow to grow on me. Our local only Rock Station 94 Fm as much as there playlist annoys me has played this tune lots and eventually after hearing it daily I decided that it was a pretty good rock tune.

Meadow oozes that sound of STP as does a lot of this album. I know they split the writing credits four ways on this album and perhaps that’s to keep the new boy in the loop. Fair enough but its true this has a bunch of tunes that are cut from the 1990’s STP’s Rock Cloth!

Roll Me Under is a great track. Cool shuffle of the drums along with Robert’s Bass Line makes this one easily one of my fav’s from this album. Six Eight as well is another as they are the heavier like tracks but with a catchy groove.

Course there is some chill moments like the Art of Letting Go. More acoustic sounding  if anything leads me to my next point. These songs more importantly than anything is how Bassist Robert Deleo writes basically since 1992 when Core came out and sold huge!

There lies the problem for many I suppose and this is my 2 cents tossed in the STP Ring! This self titled album sounds like old STP perhaps the new guy does not have the swagger that Wieland had but fair enough perhaps give him time. An album or two more and perhaps he will find his own niche within this band.

Having said that I hope these guys can make it with the same guy for an album or two more but seriously if they don’t make this work I’m out for good as I did invest in Talkshow and Army of Anyone and where did that get me?

** Flipper Flanagan my Tbay readers will recognize this band name as they are a local folk rock group who has been playing around for decades…..