Published on Dec 16, 2000
Scott Stapp and Creed seem to be the musical equivalent of
Weebles, a toy that anyone 30 or over should remember well. You can
try to push these guys over, but they just won’t fall down… not
with the way that rock radio latched onto singles from
Human Clay, Creed’s second album. We’re nearing the end of
the year, and it’s still a pretty safe bet that if you flip through
your radio right now, there’s some station playing either “With
Arms Wide Open” or “Higher”.
Without a doubt, there is some fantastic work on
Human Clay, just like there was on Creed’s 1997 debut
My Own Prison. What’s a little shocking is that very little,
if any, new ground is broken by Creed, and it’s only the strength
of the hits that keeps this album from sinking into mediocrity.
It would be ridiculously easy to sit here and focus on the five
tracks that have gotten some level of attention sice
Human Clay was released. I could sit here and fawn over “Are
You Ready?” or “What If”, or I could wonder why “Beautiful” hasn’t
joined the ranks of the hits.
But, no, that’s too easy – and, besides, these songs have gotten
so much airplay that almost everyone knows them by now. So, we’ll
turn our attention to the six listed tracks (and one uncredited
bonus track) that make up the remainder of
Human Clay.
First, the bonus track – a remix of “With Arms Wide Open”.
Honestly, I don’t know why this was included, especially since the
original version appears so close to the remix. Still, it’s a
pretty song, so let’s not make a big deal about it.
One thing which worries me about Creed is that their sound
quickly gets to being redundant; “Say I” and “Wrong Way” are so
similar in general sound that it’s hard to keep these two songs
separate in my mind. Likewise, there aren’t that many challenges
taken, rhythmically or vocally, by Creed – and stagnation is the
biggest challenge that the band is going to face, especially when
it comes time to writing album number three.
What’s also bothersome about these tracks is this: if it’s not
one of the hits, the songs are pretty forgettable (the exceptions
being “Faceless Man” and “Inside Us All”). I realize that many
groups have battled against putting filler on an album; it’s a
problem nearly as old as rock music itself. But somehow, I’d expect
a little better from Creed.
Oh, don’t get me wrong,
Human Clay is still a very entertaining album, and Stapp and
crew deserve every accolade that has come their way because of it.
But Creed has also dodged a bullet for two albums now regarding
their overall sound and repetitive nature of songs. One has to
wonder how much longer their luck can hold out.