As vocalist and lyricist with American rock band Creed, Scott Stapp is immediately recognisable to anyone with even a passing interest in music. That can be both a help and a hindrance; sure, it will grant a certain profile, yet everything he releases will be held up against past glories. It’s a challenge to which he’s constantly risen, and no more so than on his fourth solo album, Higher Power. Without relying on past glories, Scott has produced a contemporary rock record that’s guaranteed to sound fresh many years hence.

It’s no secret that Scott Stapp has had his fair share of trauma, but the one thing that has seen him through his trials and tribulations has been his faith, and that is the central theme of Higher Power. While this is not quite a concept record, the lyrical thread that stitches the album together is vitally important, because Higher Power is a varied affair which finds Scott visiting stadium-filling anthems, intimate power ballads, heavy metal heroism and hard rock heaven. It’s a shapeshifter, make no mistake, and one that’s unified by Scott’s versatile vocals. It’s the raucous title-track which kicks the album off, and amongst the ten tracks which comprise this record, ‘Higher Power’ is the one which tethers Scott to his work in Creed. It’s a hard rocker that makes a fine companion to the following ‘Deadman’s Trigger’, and combine to create a nifty one-two punch that could floor even the most hardy listener.

After the excitable histrionics of the first two cuts, Higher Power adopts a more thoughtful, reflective tone and with shades of country rock on ‘When Love Is Not Enough’. Words and music combine to create a huge panoramic vista in which the listener could quite easily lose themselves and like the majority of these songs, it’s cinematic and will plant vivid images in your mind’s eye. Featuring a guest spot from the metal queen Dorothy, ‘If These Walls Could Talk’ is an ethereal ballad that swirls like two birds in a courtship ritual. It’s back to the rock action with ‘Black Butterfly’ and Higher Power will follow this pattern with choppy waters punctuated by the calm (and sometimes in the same song). It’s an ululation which ensures the album beats as if a heart and gives the record its own life force.

Operating with an emotional depth, you get the feeling that Higher Power was a cleansing experience for Scott Stapp, and for the listener, too. Higher Power is Scott.’s crowning glory

• Higher Power is released via Napalm Records on 15th March 2024.

Track List:

1. Higher Power
2. Deadman’s Trigger
3. When Love Is Not Enough
4. What I Deserve
5. If These Walls Could Talk
6. Black Butterfly
7. Quicksand
8. You’re Not Alone
9. Dancing In The Rain
10. Weight Of The World