Tiny Music...Songs From The Va

03/26/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Janiss Garza

Although Stone Temple Pilots had a penchant for Pearl Jam/Alice In Chains-like grunge, they did it well enough to sell albums at the multi-platinum level. Maybe the copycat accusations haunted them, however, because the group's new CD, their third, dips deeply into other wells of influence--like the Beatles. In fact, the dreamy "Lady Picture Show" could practically be from the White Album. But that's not a bad thing at all--this song, along with the hard-hitting "Big Bang Baby" (which sports an ethereal, Beatlesque bridge) are two of the most infectious songs on the record.

Less successful are STP's forays into jazz--"And So I Know" and "Adhesive" wax a bit too cocktail-time mellow. While musically brighter than the band's previous albums, Tiny Music boasts lyrics--penned by singer Scott Weiland--that are darker than ever. He battles his addictions on "Tumble In The Rough" and "Seven Caged Tigers" with an awareness that makes you hope he finally does recover. And when he sarcastically remarks "Just because you're so cliched/It don't mean you won't get paid" on "Ride The Cliche," is he slamming STP doubters? He has a point: After 40 years of rock 'n' roll, perhaps it's better to search for the crafty use of influences instead of originality. In that context, Tiny Music has a lot of good stuff to offer.