After sitting with a physical copy of the Best Buy deluxe version of the album for a few days, there are for sure a few things to point out:
Upon first listen, I did not hear any songs that jumped out at me. In the past when listening to STP, it was actually clear to me upon immediate listen which tracks I loved and which ones had not made their mark in my mind. Often enough, I have a tendency to really become immersed in STP's slower songs and ballads and while I absolutely love harder songs like All In The Suit That You Wear and Regeneration, when I truly consider STP's vast catalog, it's songs like Hello It's Late, And So I Know, and Atlanta that seem to play on what is a constant loop. Even music like A Song For Sleeping and I Got You have settled in my heart as beautiful and memorable songs. That being said, the songs that stand out to me on this album are absolutely due to my love for past STP material. In other words, I love the songs I do as they have a nostalgic element to them, which reminds me of the STP I originally fell in love with, which was missing on their 2010 and High Rise efforts.
3) Six Eight - I have heard other people discussing this song and they are truly on the money. Where I expect the song to go based on the opening and where it actually ends up are two completely different places and I love the unpredictability of the song. I think this song would be an excellent addition to their current setlist as I found that listening to these songs on the album is one thing, but hearing them live is an entirely different story. Also, upon first listen I immediately heard Alice in Chains here and am for sure sticking to that. I also find Dean's solo to be pretty amazing here, something I feel we would find on SLDD. My only complaint about this song is how short it is. This song could have used a bit more room to standout on the record and I'm worried it will get lost within the others.
2) I Thought She'd Be Mine/The Art Of Letting Go - Both of these songs have more of that ballad feel I discussed earlier and these tracks absolutely stand out on the album to me. The music here is absolutely beautiful and I Thought She'd Be Mine sounds like something we would have gotten during that SLDD era while The Art Of Letting Go seems to fit perfectly within the new STP era. I find myself listening to these two songs over and over and they absolutely capture the feelings that I originally had when I first fell in love with the group to begin with. STP has a tendency to just write really terrific rock songs. Nothing really over the top or heavy or complicated. The songs here are simple and they go down really easy for me. The whole trailing off part at the end that occurs on I Thought She'd Be Mine is a huge hook for me too. I can't put my finger on what it reminds me of, but I just picture someone saying goodbye to someone else on repeat or this song playing at the end of a film. Kind of hard to explain really. Either way, I have said that STP's greatest material comes when their music and lyrics have room to work together, unlike the 2010 mashed up album where it's obvious that communication and good relations were completely lacking.
1) Finest Hour - When I consider the album as a whole, I am so glad to hear this song. Beyond any other, this is absolutely my favorite song on the entire album. I have listened to this one dozens of times already and can't even describe what I love about it so much. However, I think I really feel like there are two things going on: 1) This is old STP in my book and we haven't heard old STP in a really long time. 2) This song gives me a sense of what was occurring in the studio for some reason as it just seems like such a cohesive track with great relations behind it. With the 2010 album, I disliked the music, melodies and lyrics. With this song in particular, I can almost hear that the guys are in a place where they have a great relationship. For some reason, the song just speaks to me in more of just a four minute song as it somehow opens the door into the personal lives of the band.
This is a really wonderful album and the more I listen to it, the more I love it. My only complaint, which I know will sound odd, is that I am finding a cheapness about the album as there's just not much that's behind it. I feel like the disc is going to be prone to scratches not being in a standard jewel case and even the paper everything is printed on does not feel like other albums I own. In other words, this release is feeling somewhat independent in a way. Am I alone on this one?
