This is STP's fifth and final release, Shangri-La-Dee-Da. When STP released No. 4, it gave them the comeback they were looking for. Sour Girl gave STP the biggest hit they have ever had in years, probably their biggest all time. It set the stage for Shangri perfectly. Although this may be their last album, you would think that they would try some different stuff and go out with a bang, but that's not the case here. You'll see what I'm talking about.
1. Dumb Love- Now STP has given us some great openers over the years, however, that's not the case with Dumb Love. Personally, I like it, but I can tell that this song was poorly produced. The vocals sound nothing like Scott's and this one goes back to their hard rock roots heard in No. 4 and Purple. The lyrics focus around Scott's drug problems, but how they are written sound nothing like Scott would write, they are much, much darker. STP has done better heavy tracks on No. 4 and Purple than this. 2/5
2. Days of the Week- Now this should have been the opening track! As stated in a previous review I have read, this track really does give bands like Blink 182 and Green Day a run for their money. This track is an awesome pop tune even for STP and they produced this track perfectly. It gives off the effect that Vasoline did for Purple. 5/5
3. Coma- Yet another track that sounds nothing like STP would do. It sounds somewhat similar to Dumb Love, except this time, the vocals sound normal mostly and not sort of distorted like Dumb Love. The lyrics are still as dark as Dumb Love, except this time, STP pulls it off wonderfully. 4/5
4. Hollywood Bitch- It seems like the lyrics talk about personal problems that Scott has had before; they sound almost as dark as the lyrics in Nirvana's album, "In Utero". Anyways, this track seems to talk about Hollywood bitches and Scott describes whoever he is talking about venomously. Perfect vocals and lyrics for a track like this. And when you think Hollywood Bitch, you think about someone like Paris Hilton. It would have been hilarious if they had decided to make a video for this. Bet that you would have seen a Paris Hilton lookalike in it. Great descriptions in the song, awesome vocals from Scott. 5/5
5. Wonderful- Now the band starts to get artistic right around here. This song would seem perfect for a funeral. Great acoustic guitars in this song. Scott's mellow, grungy voice is absolutely perfect for this song. An excellent pop tune. 5/5
6. Black Again- The band continues showing off how artistic they can be with Black Again. Scott continues to use the mellow vocals used in Wonderful, except this time it seems like a happy Big Empty-type vocal. Not like Wonderful was, this time it just has a more in-your-face attitude. 4/5
7. Hello It's Late- Their artistic skills really show off in this song! The band sounds more mature in this song, and Scott's vocals match perfectly for this song. It sounds really interesting when you think about it. It sounds like the vocals from Wonderful mixed with the mellow and depressing attitude from Big Empty, except with a more uplifting attitude and only one electric guitar part. 5/5
8. Too Cool Queenie- The band starts going back to a more pop like sound with this. It seems like the lyrics focus around Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain. Just listen to it. Read the lyrics and then think about how their marriage was. Now do you see? All in all, this is a good catchy pop song, like a jingle, if you will. Also, nice drums from Eric. I applaud his drumming in this song. 4/5
9. Regeneration- Oh, here we go. Remember what i said in my intro? About the part where I said that it wouldn't be the case that STP goes out with a bang? This starts it off. Again, the lyrics sound dark, and I have absolutely no problem with that, it just how it sounds is what bothers me. I mean, sure, the chorus is unique, but Scott's vocals blow the whole song in smoke. It sounds like he is rapping the verses. But I tip my hat to Dean for his dramatic guitar work in this song, however, it's not enough to save this song. 2/5
10. Bi-Polar Bear- This song is about Scott's Bi-Polar disorder. Scott sound like he is gonna break down and cry on the song before it's even over. For those of you who don't know what it is, I think that it has to do with mood swings. I'm not sure of it, but I think it does. Anyway, Eric does maybe some of the best drumming I've ever heard from him in STP. 2/5
11. Transmissions from a Lonely Room- This song sounds nothing like an STP song. I believe that this song uses an electric sitar in this, which is really cool. Most bands today don't use a sitar. The chorus is repeated too often, and Scott sounds like he was high when the vocals were recorded. 2/5
12. A Song for Sleeping- This is a song that's sort of like Hush, Little Baby done STP's way. Of course, this is a tribute song to Scott's son, Noah. I mean, it's okay to be a proud parent, and it's okay to make a song about him while you're at it, just don't turn it into a cheese fest. This song sounds really good, but the lyrics and Scott's vocals are just what they didn't avoid: a cheese fest. 2/5
13. Long Way Home- This really should not have been the ender for Shangri. Long Way Home is an extremely heavy track. Like in Dumb Love, the song goes back to the hard rock roots used in Purple and No. 4, but as stated before, STP has done better heavy tracks. Nothing is wrong with the way it sounds, it's just that the lyrics are the stupidest lyrics I have ever heard. Scott could have wrote some better lyrics for this, but this time around, the vocals sound improved than those used in Dumb Love and this song overall could be marked as a parody of Dumb Love. But this time, it's the other way around. Dumb Love was a parody of Long Way Home, making Long Way Home a much better track compared to that of Dumb Love. 3/5
Overall, this album gets a 3.5. The band has majorly focused on a pop plateau that Tiny Music gave the band. This time around, the band focuses on pop songs. They don't do good on the pop songs, they are PHENOMENAL on the pop tunes. It's good to see that they adjusted to what most people listen to today, however, Shangri seems like a distress call for fans. They tried to reach a wider audience and succeeded in that, however, it acted like a double-edged sword. They were successful in reaching a more broader audience, but it cost them big time because while they focused on their popularity, they got less focused on making great music for their die hard fans that have stayed with them since their breakthrough in the grunge scene. However, in this album, STP has really improved on their consistency, but like I said, some songs are horribly wrong. We go through the truly excellent(Wonderful, Days of the Week, Hello It's Late) to the okay(Long Way Home) to the horribly bad(Dumb Love, Bi-Polar Bear, Regeneration, A Song For Sleeping). There should have been more production, and better song choice. Wonderful sounds like a closer that would have fit Shangri perfectly and it would give off the idea that STP will be missed and that they would like to thank the die hard fans that have stuck with them through the good and bad times. Personally, I like this album. And this album just clearly states why most people think STP is underrated. But STP will remain one of the great bands who gave us hits like Sex Type Thing, Plush, Interstate Love Song, and Big Empty. Long live STP.
