Perdida, released today, is the first album from STP since 2018, following their second self-titled album. For a band known for leading the 90s in the alt-rock and grunge genres, I cannot lie, even for an acoustic album, this album is, at best, bland [Not a surprise given how bland the aforementioned 2018 album was – Ross]. Featuring acoustic guitars, a string accompaniment and a flute, there is certainly the capacity to make a truly excellent album, however, it just didn’t come together that way.
Jeff Gutt, famous for his American X Factor appearances back in 2012 and 2013, took over the reins as lead singer for STP in 2017. Undoubtedly an excellent musician and singer, Jeff’s vocals with STP feel less Jeff and more what Jeff believes the band and fans want him to sound like. It’s a shame the lyrics just don’t live up to the expectations set by Weiland. Now, I am no lyricist, however, so many of the lyrics in these tracks feel clichéd and used, as do the titles of the tracks (I draw your attention to track eight – “You Found Yourself While Losing Your Heart”).
The opening track “Fare Thee Well” is a nice listening experience. It sets out the scene of an easy-listening album. The second track “Three Wishes” features the standard of guitar solo we have come to expect from Dean DeLeo, a lilting crescendo. However, this is the only stand out about the track, otherwise, it is a very repetitive track.
The title track “Perdida”, is a beautiful piece of music, it will appeal to some, however, there isn’t much more to say about it. “She’s My Queen”, a track featuring a nice flute solo, is a more folk track.
Sadly, ‘not much to say’ is how I feel about this album, which saddens me as someone who loved previous STP, I remember the first time Purple was played to me, the hard-hitting entrance of “Meatplow”, the bass at the start of “Vasoline”, Weiland’s incredible voice and vocals on “Interstate Love Song”. I know to compare an acoustic album to the likes of Purple is comparing an apple to a book or the graphics of a Commodore with an Xbox One however this is the same band and ultimately, the band’s sound just feels lost, ironically, given the album title.
Perdida is out now
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