Creed - Weathered

94.7 The Zone

A washed up rock star once told me at the height of the grunge explosion that people should judge music on whether they like it or not, not by what label you put on it. That being said, forgive Creed for wanting to be the biggest rock band in the world, and not some indie band that won't sell out. Front man Scott Stapp said, "It's important for us to be #1, and I'm not gonna say it's not. People said we were a one-hit wonder, no one had any faith in our talents and our abilities. Then on the last album we debuted at #1 and it eventually went diamond. That's my last laugh. I don't have to say any more because the music and our fans speak for us." Sixteen million albums sold later, Creed comes back harder than ever on Weathered.

Scott Stapp may sound like a graduate of the Eddie Vedder School of power crooning at times; he is no Eddie Vedder. The thing where Creed differs from Pearl Jam the most is their shameless self-promotion. Eddie would never be caught dead on the same stage with interpretive dancers, a boys gospel choir, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders wearing a personalized Cowboys jersey at a NFL game. Scott Stapp would and has. Imagine a halftime show linking Cirque du Soleil with "Up With People" and there you have the Creed Turkey Day medley of hits. That's what Creed does best: create radio friendly hits and make it big. Start with Stapp's booming bravado vocals, add Mark Tremonti's grunge guitar hooks, and finish the polished sound with Scott Phillip's pounding drum work and there you have the Creed formula for success.

What also separates Creed from the rest of the Days of the New and Fuels of the world is their spiritual beliefs. Lyrically, Stapp leans on the dark side with a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel: Who's got my back now, when all we have left is deceptive, so disconnected, so what is truth now? There's still time, all that has been devastated, can be recreated," on Who's got my back now?" Creed's manager Jeff Hanson (no relation to Zac or Isaac) touts Weathered as Creed's Joshua Tree. U2 is spiritual, and has at times sold out" with mega-produced concerts, yet still has kept its image in tact because there is real depth. With Creed's latest effort, it's big voice, big guitars, slick production, massive promotion, as if a record mogul said, "I want a Superstar Grunge Band Bigger Than Life." Creed is almost too perfect. Call them Bizarre-o Pearl Jam. This album has already launched "My Sacrifice" onto radio airwaves everywhere. They'll be plenty more hits to come. Weathered is good, very good. It's no Joshua Tree.

.Reviewed by Steve Fisher