Weiland Rises From Stupor for Fifth STP Effort

By Sarah Kucharski

Staff Writer

After sloughing off years of bad karma and sweeping aside the fallout from lead singer Scott Weiland's most recent parole violation -- which landed him in a Los Angeles County jail -- the Stone Temple Pilots have re-emerged refreshed and ready to go.

Over the last couple of years, Weiland released a solo album and the other members put out an album as Talk Show.

Shangri-La Dee Da, their fifth album and first since 1999's No. 4, reveals a more mature, musically honed group than in earlier days. But it seems that somewhere along the way, STP got a little soft in the middle.

At least they pull it off well.

And there's no real other way to say it: Shangri-La Dee Da is a damn good album.

From the raucous, piss-your-parents-off-through-disobedience-and-discordance tracks "Dumb Love" and "Hollywood Bitch" to the softer, finely crafted acoustic tunes "Hello It's Late" and "A Song For Sleeping,"Shangri-La Dee Da showcases STP's range of talents. Within the album's 13 tracks, there certainly lies a little something for everyone.

Much of Shangri-La Dee Da explores the psyche and consequences of Weiland's past mistakes.

Tracks "Wonderful" and "Transmissions from a Lonely Room" seem to delve into Weiland's relationships and the separation caused by time spent either in rehab or incarceration.

In "Wonderful," Weiland sings, "I wonder what I lost/ Must be movin' on/ Know I'll be waitin' here alone/ I wanna ask you to forgive me/ I haven't been the best with all that I had."

On the downside, Shangri-La Dee Da falls prey to cheesiness on "Too Cool Queenie."

While "Queenie" has a super-cool intro, it turns sour as soon as the vocals come in. Weiland sounds vaguely like a strung-out member of the Barenaked Ladies, replete with the clich