SCOTT STAPP – Higher Power (2024)

While Creed is in the midst of a resurgence with a World Series anthem for the Texas Rangers and an extensive reunion tour plotted for this summer, frontman SCOTT STAPP is unleashing his own set of new music. “Higher Power“, his fourth solo record and his second on metal-centric Napalm Records, doesn’t stray from the Creed sound. There are riff-heavy hard-rockers, stadium-ready anthems and some introspective balladry.
Vocally, his vocal timbre is as strong as when he was young; deep, something that has been a signature for decades. Time has added a smokey layer to Stapp’s pipes that provides more depth, especially on the ballads. The 50-year-old sounds refreshed and reinvigorated throughout the 10-song set, which shows off his dynamic range in different ways, surrounded by class musicians.
There are records that are stripped down, and make a virtue of their sparseness. “Higher Power” is not one of those – indeed even the slower ones like “Love Is Not Enough” are multi-layered stadium fillers. And Yiannis Papadopoulos’ guitar cameo on the fabulous “Want What I Deserve” is worth the record on its own.

The title track, which opens the album, explodes right out of the gate. It takes the modern hard rock formula and pushes it a few steps into the heavier direction, with Stapp reaching a near scream leading into the track’s bridge.
“Deadman’s Trigger” fuses that hard rock mindset with a bluesy stomp that digs deeper into dark places. At times, “When Love is Not Enough” is one of the most effective tracks on the record in mixing the heaviness and power with a sentiment and an impassioned delivery.

With Creed, Scott Stapp plays off of guitar virtuoso Mark Tremonti, laying down memorable solos and fretboard-punishing guitar riffs. Here, he taps frequent collaborator and Greek guitar god Yiannis Papadopoulos to take on a similar role. Papadopoulos delivers the goods with blistering solos on brooding mid-tempo rocker “What I Deserve” and hard rocker “Quicksand.”

Particularly poignant “If These Walls Could Talk,” with Dorothy Martin of rock group Dorothy, tackles addiction. That’s especially prescient, given the two singers’ personal struggles. The two powerhouse vocalists mesh well on the acoustic-laden track.
“Black Butterfly” delivers not only heaviness and infectiousness, but mixes in interesting instrumentation, including what sounds like a sitar.

The record’s most interesting and most adventurous moments come in the closing trio of songs, offering up a softer side of Scott Stapp. “You’re Not Alone” is nearly all acoustic and has a swaying pub-like quality that has him pushing his voice to its limits. “Dancing In the Rain” is a lighters-in-the-air ballad with a rock and roll punch. Mid-tempo hard rock ballad “Weight of the World” concludes the album.

As much as anything has been, maybe music is the salvation for Scott Stapp. He’s been through it and come out the other side and every day still might be a battle, but he has the ability the skill, and the class, to make Hard Rock albums, sound as this one does: almost effortlessly solid.
Highly Recommended

01 – Higher Power
02 – Deadman’s Trigger
03 – When Love Is Not Enough
04 – What I Deserve (feat. Yiannis Papadopoulos)
05 – If These Walls Could Talk (feat. Dorothy)
06 – Black Butterfly
07 – Quicksand (feat. Yiannis Papadopoulos)
08 – You’re Not Alone
09 – Dancing in the Rain (feat. Yiannis Papadopoulos)
10 – Weight of the World

Pre order:
napalmrecordsamerica.com/scott-stapp-higher-power-digipak-cd.html