Okay so I finally thought I’d post a review of sorts of the album. I wanted to wait a while to see if certain songs grew on me but also to see if some would lose their initial appeal. I felt now was a good time to listen to it through and post some thoughts.
01. Middle of Nowhere 2/5 - I just can’t really get into this one, as others have stated it kinda sounds like a poor man’s ‘Sucker Train Blues’ and I really don’t like the sudden start/stop riff just before the “There’s a right way...”, it just irks me. ‘Dumb Love’ this is not. In fact as far as STP openers go I’d even rate ‘Between The Lines’ higher than this.
02. Guilty 2.5/5 - I dig the groovy bass line but the song overall just bores me, it’s not breaking any new ground, it’s not terrible, I’d file it under ‘slightly below average’ STP tracks like many of the songs from the first S/T.
03. Meadow 4.5/5 - After the first 2 rather lacklustre tracks STP deliver exactly what I would’ve I’d expect from them. A catchy alternative tune and great choice for first single. I still love blasting this one and it’s definitely my fav rocker on the disc.
04. Just a Little Lie 3/5 - It’s different I’ll give it that. The riff is kinda awkward but the song turns out to be okay and I like it’s uniqueness. The solo is crazy! Not going to be an STP ‘classic’ for me though.
05. Six Eight 4/5 - I really like this one. When the opening riff kicked in I was expecting a rather straightforward rocker but was pleasantly surprised with where Jeff and the band took this one, especially in the verses and pre chorus. The solo is one of my favs on the album too, classic Dean.
06. Thought She’d Be Mine 4/5 - If I were to rate this on music alone it would be a straight 5, it’s beautiful. For me the lyrics let it down slightly though, they’re pretty straightforward compared to some of the stuff Scott would write to something like this (in his prime). ‘Thought She’d Be Mine’ is repeated a little too much but it’s still a really good song.
07. Roll Me Under 3/5 - The first time I heard this song it was like a 1.5 or 2 for me but it has grown on me with repeated listens and sounds pretty cool cranked up loud. Again, nothing groundbreaking but not bad at all.
08. Never Enough 3/5 - Yeah this ones a bit all over the place, I really like the ‘Oh it’s never enough’ part but not so much the part that comes after it which reminds me of Billy Joe from Green Day with the whole ‘put away your anarchy’ etc. The verses are fine, kinda remind me of ‘Blaster’ era Scott as others have mentioned.
09. The Art of Letting Go 5/5 - This song is the jewel in the crown for me. Full marks because there is literally nothing I can fault with it. Jeff’s lyrics and vocals are superb, love what he did here and of course the music is beautiful. A true STP classic right here. If I listened to this after losing someone I would 100% be brought to tears.
10. Finest Hour 4/5 - The perfect song to follow up with after ‘The Art...’ almost like a part 2 in terms of lyrical content but obviously in a different musical direction to its predecessor. Another strong track.
11. Good Shoes 3/5 - Not a lot to say about this one. I don’t love it but I certainly don’t dislike it either. I quite enjoy some of the riffs on it (especially right before the solo) even if it’s not an amazing song overall.
12. Reds & Blues 4.5/5 - I might be the only one here who would rate this slightly above ‘Thought She’d Be Mine’. It’s so mellow and I like that Jeff’s lyrics here are somewhat mysterious and possibly metaphorical, reminds me of something Scott would’ve written. Verse, Bridge and chorus are all solid and merge into each other perfectly. I love this song! I’d probably have chosen a slightly shorter outro solo though just to squeeze that chorus in another time right at the end.
13. Already Gone 3.5/5 - For a bonus track/B Side this is pretty good! I’d take this over a few cuts that made the actual album. That chorus is pretty catchy. In fairness this would probably be a single for many current bands.
14. Forget Forever 2/5 - Okay this one sounds like a B Side/leftover to me. I definitely hear the similarities to both ‘Lazy Eye’ by Silversun Pickups and ‘First Kiss On Mars’, except those 2 are much stronger songs than this which is just very bland and forgettable in my opinion.
Overall this album is without a doubt a worthy addition to the STP catalogue and I’m glad they chose Jeff to make it with (since Scott is sadly no longer an option). There’s a few weak tracks sure (surprisingly the 2 opening tracks seem the weakest) but the strong ones more than make up for it.