The Official SCOTT STAPP Thread

[creed009]

Never mind. I found it.

[austin.]

About to purchase a physical Cd at walmart. Give Stapp a sale.

[Andy92]

Album is on Spotify and similar streaming sites.

[chtimixeur]

It's easily his best material since Weathered, and it's my favourite Creed-related album since Blackbird.
I'm convinced a couple of songs would be highly succesful if they were sung by younger and more hip singers. Wake up Call is one of them, and even though it's not my cup of tea style-wise, it's still a well-crafted pop song, and Napalm Records should definitely release it to pop radios, since rock stations won't ever put one Stapp's songs on heavy rotation, now matter how good it may be.

Currently, I'm really loving Ready to Love, and Red Clouds, Heaven in Me and Gone Too Soon.
I'm loving the Higher reference in Heaven in Me at 1:54, and it's weird to hear him use the expressions "Cauterized" and " I won't be denied" in Survivor (my least favourite track on the album, by the way)...
The bonus tracks are definitely B-sides, and unlike Real Love on Proof of Life, it's good thing he didn't include them on the standard version of the album.

Overall, I'm impressed by that album: Stapp is singing his ass off (especially on Ready to Love), and it sounds like he's finally moved on from the Creed sound. The songs all sound different, and even though most of them are short, they don't sound as formulaic as his previous material. He's still wearing his heart on his sleeve, and as Roob from Metalworks said in 2013, Stapp still has the rare "gift of expression".


(at 21:50)

Good job, Scott!

Edit:
Here are two very good interviews from this week.


He talks about Creed at the 26th minute.


At 20:00, he says he doesn't want to just do a Creed reunion tour. He also wants to release an album!

[Dolo]

It's a great album for his standards. Nothing overly cheesy, decent guitar riffs and catchy melodies.

[Kreuger]

I've only had one listen so far. Not sure how to feel.

[chtimixeur]

Here are some of the new songs being played live:







Face of the Sun with his son Daniel!

[Mr. Slash]

Haha that one with his son is so awkward.

[TheEndisHere]

So on the album: I think it's his best solo album he has made. I really like Red Clouds, Survivor, and Purpose for Pain. Is his solo stuff better than AB/Tremonti's last albums? No way. I feel like Scott misses Mark's talent's more than the other way around.
On possible Creed re-union: I definitely think it could happen but won't until 2021 at the earliest when AB is done touring and Myles goes off to do either solo album #2 or back with Slash. Both Mark and Stapp have said there is about an album of stuff that they started and Stapp seems like he finally has his life together. I guess it depends what is happening with Tremonti solo band given that Garrett is MIA because ERock can just officially join Creed as 2nd guitarist. A Dying Machine was my favorite album of 2018 and Mark is now a great singer and I want to see a new album.

[austin.]

Wouldn’t take Creed long at all to actually record an album if there truly is one written ready to be tracked. A month of their time maybe? Then other people come in and do their stuff with computers right? They could record the album in a off month and not even tell anyone.

Edit couple days in and still say albums fantastic. Great work Scott Stapp.

[chtimixeur]

Is his solo stuff better than AB/Tremonti's last albums? No way.

To each his own.
Tremonti's albums all sound the same to me, the songs are insanely formulaic, and they have zero replay value after a while.
That's what happens when you release so many albums in a short period of time, rush the writing process and always work with the same producer.
For me, Fortress is the only album from the Creed/AB camp of the last 10 years that comes close to the new Stapp album in terms of quality and replay value.

I feel like Scott misses Mark's talent's more than the other way around.

That's probably true, but I think one day, Mark will realize how awesome Scott actually is as a singer and frontman.
Stapp may not have the greatest voice, but he has that X Factor that very singers have on the rock, hard rock and metal scenes.

ERock can just officially join Creed as 2nd guitarist.

Nope, Creed is fine as it is and doesn't need him whatsoever.
I don't need solos in Creed, that's not what this band was about in the first place, and the best Creed songs were written for one guitar and one bass guitar.

Mark is now a great singer

I respectfully disagree. He's decent at best in the studio, has very little range, and still can't properly sing live (he always shouts the lyrics instead).

[Dolo]

To each his own.
Tremonti's albums all sound the same to me, the songs are insanely formulaic, and they have zero replay value after a while.
That's what happens when you release so many albums in a short period of time, rush the writing process and always work with the same producer.
For me, Fortress is the only album from the Creed/AB camp of the last 10 years that comes close to the new Stapp album in terms of quality and replay value.

I strongly agree and disagree at the same time. Tremonti's albums are very formulaic indeed and it may come down to releasing so many albums one after another and working with the same people, but come on - the new Stapp album isn't any less formulaic than, say, A Dying Machine or The Last Hero. It happens to have strong melodies, cool guitar riffs but it's (mostly) still the same radio frendly type of thing which is what AB, Tremonti and Stapp have always been doing. Actually, AB and Tremonti sometimes do try to go out of the box (song-structure wise in tracks like Cry of Achilles, Providence, The Last Hero, Fortress etc.) but there is nothing on the new Stapp album that does anything like that.

[chtimixeur]

I agree most of the songs on Stapp's record are radio-friendly, but they don't sound as formulaic as the AB or Tremonti stuff to my ears. The reason is probably that he worked with different songwriters, who each have their own approach, whereas Mark and Myles have been writing together with the same formula since 2007 (basically sending each other parts, then assembling them together and fine tuning everything during a couple of weeks with Elvis).
Even the so-called epics are all very similar after a while, and I don't hear Mark and Myles going out of the box that much (and why would they since it's proven to be a succesful formula for them?)

Back to Stapp: I think Wake up Call and Red Clouds are very different from what the rest of his catalogue. Purpose for Pain, on the other hand, is stylistically very close to songs like The Madness or Slow Suicide.

TLDR: I'd be curious to hear Mark and Myles work with another producer or even different musicians, to keep things fresh.

[Dolo]

I see no difference to be honest. All of them - Tremonti, AB and Stapp have a balance of riff-based songs and ballads, they have pompous choruses and groovy verses. None of them have really done anything different than that. Epics tend to sound similar, but surrounded by radio-friendly material, you get the impression that you're listening to something special. Stapp might have used various people, but the result isn't variety.
I'd love Mark and Myles to really get out of the box and make something different, but as you're saying - the formula works and they have families to feed.

[George]

That album is strong, I love it.

Heaven in Me, Red Clouds, Survivor, Ready to Love and Last Hallelujah sound awesome to me. I miss guitar solos, I think they could add so much more to some songs but I really think it's a great album and Scott has done such a great work with that, again, love it.

I actually think it is his best work since Weathered, almost 20 years later and the guy is on top.

[Dimitris]

This album is the best work Scott did from weathered era. The vocals,the lyrics and the mixing sound very impressive.I will give a small review of the album song by song.

World I use to know: reminds me bullets a Very good opening song ,the vocal mixing would rather be more natural like who am I

Name: a personal song with a very clear lyrics and from the line “I will be the space between the shadows “ and after the song takes a blues feeling which I adore.

Purpose for pain: not my favorite song when it came out but now i appreciate it more ,if the guitar solo was a bit bigger this would be really epic.

Heaven in me: this is a song from the 90s ,love the lyrics and the higher line. Great tune with extremely good mixing

Survivor: the weakest song for my ears ,the only one I would may skip

Wake up call: this song is not a rock song but the feeling of the song reminds me U2 tune , i think it missing an guitar solo again ,even acoustic guitar solo to take it to the next level.

Face of the sun :energetic ,fun a very good rock song general

Red Clouds: The diamond of the album , this sounds so hunting .from the mixing ,music lyrics ,this took me back to weathered era 2001. I’m so happy and optimistic to hear this epic tune in 2019.

Gone to soon : a song for single for sure , emotional song that I can imagine Scott May sings it in a duet with a female vocalist like Amy Lee

Ready to Love: my second favorite ,the mixing again epic ,Scott singing like he use in Creed days which I adore,simple and effortless

Mary’s Crying : well this one is a bonus track and for a bonus track is decent but I can hear even if it’s decent it didn’t belong in the SBTS sound.

Last Halleluaj: the big surprise here ,Jim Morrison verse and then the chorus go into the mainstream rock , a very good album closer for the album

I will give The Space Between The Shadows album a 8/10

[austin.]

I can get down with different opinions. Survivor is probably my favorite track on the album...... sounds like a bangin Skillet track or something. Love the lyrics and thunder Stapp brings. Strong character in this song IMO.

[austin.]

Let’s not forget the bangers Stapp put out early. purpose for pain, name, gone too soon, even face of the sun.

Then there’s red clouds, heaven in me, world I used to know, survivor, man. This album just works for me. Gonna go ahead and get the meet and greet for Charlotte, gotta remind dude he’s killing it.... love the album. Been listening to it 3-4x a day.

Ready to love is pretty. Love this song. And I’m a big metal fan. This is a great album closer. IMO a solo album is supposed to highlight the frontman. Marks stuff does. This album from Stapp to me was about showcasing every musical talent he had from lyrics to vocals to production, everything. Came out of nowhere honestly. Who knew he still had this great effort ten years since Creed.... awesome man.

Edit red clouds sounds like a dang creed song..... can’t believe the quality of this album.

Mary Crying. Something about these songs I can’t put my finger on but maybe each one of them could potentially be a single? Goosebumps. Listened to this album three times tonight. Got off storm work at 1am, it’s 4 now and I gotta get up at 6, been jamming this album and settling down for a few. Enjoy this music a lot. Seems like it’ll hold better than AoA did. I’ll go back to these songs for sure.

[chtimixeur]

Turn a mess into a message?
Isn't that what he already said 6 years ago or so when he was promoting Proof of Life?
It's also surprising to hear him say he wasted 12 years of his career. I guess he referrs to the 2002-2014 era.

[austin.]

Stapps single is charting better than Alter Bridge... wow.