Scott Stapp - Higher Power [Solid Viola LP]

"Continuing his triumphant Napalm Records-era return, multi-Grammy Award nominee and winner Scott Stapp will unleash his brand new album, Higher Power, in 2024. As one of the best-known voices in rock, Stapp is “primed for a big decade, sounding just as powerful as he did at half his age and with a sense of newfound heaviness resting beneath his iconic voice,” according to Loudwire. The upcoming album follows 2019’s The Space Between the Shadows, which debuted at #3 on the US Current Rock Albums chart, the US Current Hard Music Albums chart, and the UK Official Rock and Metal Chart, among countless other top chart positions. Over the course of 10 unforgettable tracks - including unmissable radio-ready anthems, introspective ballads, undeniable metal bangers and heavy rock triumphs, Higher Power strobes with brilliance and fervent energy throughout, succeeding as a real-time journey traversing themes of loss, frustration, betrayal and near defeat. Accenting Scott Stapp’s quintessential vocal delivery and celebrated songwriting prowess, Higher Power features stand-out performances by hard rock queen Dorothy, multi-award winning guitar god Yiannis Papadopoulos, and a co-writing appearance by multi-Grammy Award winning songwriter and musician Steve McEwan. Higher Power was produced by Marti Frederiksen and Scott Stevens, with co-production by Stapp. With Scott Stapp’s trademark introspective and observational songwriting, he’s bookended the album experience with two songs that yield hope - opening title track, first single “Higher Power,” which bruises with thick, grooving riffs, an epic chorus, and then the contemplative album closer “Weight Of The World.” Between the two anchors is a textured arc of trial, error, discovery and revelation rooted in Stapp’s famed vocal approach that has had fans passionately singing along for decades. Tracks like the charging yet melodic “Deadman’s Trigger,” the heartfelt and hypnotizing “When Love Is Not Enough,” and the gripping, anthemic “Black Butterfly” feature some of the album’s most tantalizing riffs and metallic passages. Essential tracks like “What I Deserve,” “Quicksand”, and “Dancing In The Rain,” shine with the blistering yet delicate head-spinning leads and solos of guitar genius Yiannis Papadopoulos - contributions so invaluable that he is credited as a featured artist alongside Stapp. Acoustic ballad “If These Walls Could Talk” pairs Stapp with celebrated frontwoman Dorothy for an emotional duet that showcases a new facet for both vocalists. Later,“You’re Not Alone,” co-written with legendary songwriter Steve McEwan, serves as both a reclamation of faith and the realization that it’s possible to learn to survive alone without feeling alone. Higher Power soars as a conduit of reawakening and the deepening of one's faith, conviction, and dependence on a power greater than oneself. The album turns Stapp’s own experiences on the razor’s edge with the acknowledgement that no one walks through this life alone, while prospering as a crowning musical achievement of Scott Stapp’s potent modern era."