CREED is still at the heart of much controversy by Christians, especially
for some of the content on their first CD, My Own Prison. Today, our Ben
Forrest checks out the disc. Also, we have more Rebecca St. James
merchandise to give away, plus the latest news and new releases.

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MY OWN PRISON - CREED (1997)
by Ben Forest

When Creed finally "burst" onto the scene, with hit singles and interviews
on major entertainment shows, I'd already discovered them. Long before they
were being hailed as the saviours of rock music itself, I had spun My Own
Prison about ten times. When fools were rushing in to label them "Christian"
without having heard their album...well, you get the idea. I was deeply
impressed with Scott Stapp's highbrow, introspective lyrics and his unique,
aggressive vocals. I've taken great pride in having discovered Creed before
ten million people were buying their albums, and My Own Prison has become
one of my favourite albums of all time.

That said, it's difficult to review this album and do it justice (or remain
objective). But I'll try.

It should first be said that this band isn't half as groundbreaking as
they've been made out to be. Soundgarden, circa 1994 was doing very similar
work, and Creed seems to have been very heavily influenced. The superficial
similarities (like the nearly analogous vocals of then Soundgarden frontman
Chris Cornell and Stapp) are really only the beginning. Shades of
Superunknown are felt throughout My Own Prison, and the title track has
haunting similarities to "Black Hole Sun." Creed has only really become
"post-grunge" since the release of their sophomore effort, Human Clay.

But Creed has always been lyrically above most bands of the grunge era.
Though Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins and, of course, Nirvana, spat
angst-filled diatribes and professed anger at virtually every obscure figure
in their admittedly desolate lives, Creed has lent themselves to social
commentary ("In America"), soul searching ("My Own Prison") and
existentialism (Stapp recently created the "With Arms Wide Open Foundation,"
which seeks to nurture parent-child relationships and bring to the public's
attention the importance of such relationships). Where some would rail
against parents, the government and all other groups whom they perceive to
have oppressed them, this group is willing to ask the important questions
and contribute to society, rather than try to tear it down.

My Own Prison begins with "Torn," a somewhat cryptic, bass heavy tune in
which the singer seems to rail against empty religions that promise
fulfilment, and expresses grief over the extent to which he has sinned ("I'm
the one who/The only one who/would carry on this far.").

"Ode" follows, with heavily distorted arpeggios and unspectacular drum work.
In it, the singer uses violent imagery ("Hang me, watch awhile/Let me see
you smile as I die") and appears to criticize Pentecostalism ("One touch on
the head, we believe"). Stapp's father was a Pentecostal minister.

"My Own Prison," the crown jewel of this album, and the main reason some
groups hailed Creed as Christian, makes heavy use of religious imagery and
has a seemingly evangelistic message. "A lion roars in the darkness," sings
Stapp. "Only he holds the key/A light to free me from my burden/And grant me
life eternally."

"Pity For a Dime" follows, a tune in which the lyricist reduces his
self-pity to the value of a dime. "In America," track five, rails against
abortion and materialism. The ensuing songs, "Illusion," "Unforgiven" and
"Sister," are solid rock songs, but you won't find yourself singing them in
the shower. Their messages are largely harmless.

"What's This Life For" and "One," the final two cuts are genuinely
enjoyable, but the former is spoiled by Stapp's recurrent use of the word
"godd---."

Most confounding about this group is their spirituality. Stapp has said that
all of the current members of Creed "believe in God but...each differ on
[their] methods of reaching Him." And they balk at calling themselves
Christians. Their body of work seems to suggest that they're not.

The apparent dichotomy of this group can be summed up with the refrain from
"What's This Life For." Stapp sings "They ain't here anymore/Don't have to
settle the score/'Cause we all live under the reign of one king." He then
proceeds to use the conjunctive "godd---" three times.

This album is definitely worth your while, but you'll want to skip track 9.

Find out more about CREED on cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/creed


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OTHER NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM
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http://cMusicWeb.com/pop/watermark/constant.shtml

Review: All Star United (self-titled)
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/allstarunited/allstarunited.shtml

Review: Lift - Audio Adrenaline
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/audioadrenaline/lift.shtml


AVAILABLE MONDAY, APRIL 15 (at cMusicWeb.com or at your local store)

WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU - CAROLYN ARENDS
Releasing the same time as a book from Carolyn of the same title, this album
is billed as the "soundtrack" to parenthood. Carolyn just recently had her
second child, and is ready to share her experiences with us. The disc
includes many new Carolyn tracks, as well as remakes of a couple Arends
classics and covers of songs from Bob Dylan and Carole King.


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, APRIL 16 (at cMusicWeb.com or at your local store)

KING OF MAJESTY - UNITED LIVE
Cranking youth-based worship up to another notch, King of Majesty does not
feature the famous golden voice of Shout to the Lord, but some other
worshippers from "down under." The third project of the Hillsongs Youth
Band is good for crankin' up and worshipping, and features many originals.
It's definitely the PICK OF THE WEEK.

ONE DESIRE - LENNY LEBLANC
One of Integrity Music's top selling artists, Lenny LeBlanc delivers a good
selection of new songs in his signature bluesy style. Apparently, a DVD and
VHS from this project are also coming soon.

TRAVELING LIGHT - VARIOUS
Featuring many popular artists such as PFR, Tait, Russ Taff, and even an
appearance by Amy Grant, Traveling Light does pop/rock in the vein of the
City on a Hill series. The songs are supposedly based on the 23rd Psalm,
which Max Lucado's latest book, Traveling Light, is also about.

UNCONDITIONAL - FREDDIE COLLOCA
Freddie Colloca delivers Spanish flavored pop.


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