STONE TEMPLE PILOTS 
No. 4  (Atlantic)
Rating: 5 out of 7
By Janiss Garza

   The most telling song lyrically on Stone Temple Pilots' latest disc is "I Got You," in which singer Scott Weiland coyly plays vulnerable while poking here and there at his need to stick needles in himself. It's the phoniest tune on the album, a manipulative ploy to gain sympathy for his tortured mind. Read between the lines and you find a selfish, self-involved individual. 
   That's not to say Weiland doesn't have a great poetic flair--he does. He just doesn't have much insight into himself and perhaps that's why he's currently cooling his heels in the clink. There's a fine line between addiction and idiocy and it's too bad STP's frontman has crossed that line again and again because No. 4 actually is quite good. It mixes the dreamy, Beatlesque flourishes of the quartet's last album, Tiny Music..., with the heavy grunge of their first two LPs. 
   And while that grungy approach initially brought the band success, it's this record's weakest link. Tunes like "Down" and "No Way Out" sound decidedly dated. But other tracks, such as "Heaven And Hot Rods," which is alternately swaggering and dreamy, and the psychotic, adrenaline-powered "Sex And Violence" shine. "Sour Girl," with its laid-back glow, is an especially captivating journey. 
   Kudos should go to the rest of STP--guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo, and drummer Eric Kretz--for their fine musical contributions. And for dealing with Weiland's peccadilloes, they deserve a Purple Heart.

All recordings courtesy of Atlantic Records and WB Music Corp./MilkSongs/EMI April Music, Inc./Foxy Dead Girl Music/ (ASCAP). “Down” written by R. DeLeo and S. Weiland.  “Church On Tuesday” written by D. DeLeo and S. Weiland.  “No Way Out” written by S. Weiland, D. DeLeo, R. DeLeo, E. Kretz, B. Martin. “Tear Me Down” written by S. Trask, courtesy of  So-Do-My songs (ASCAP).