Scott Weiland

As you would expect from anyone struggling to free himself from the inner hells of substance abuse, Scott Weiland's solo work is an exercise in catharsis. Fortunately for listeners, it is no mere banquet of self pity, nor does it sound like the creative death rattle of an addict. In fact, Twelve Bar Blues is far more adventurous than anything Stone Temple Pilots ever ventured. With the assistance of production giant Daniel Lanois, Weiland created a studio-intensive pastiche of spaced-out beats, smash-and-grab guitar riffs, and slick, Thin White Duke synths. While Weiland gives vent to his pain here, he also displays an avid lyrical imagination and a pop refinement that saves the album from turning into a woe-is-me plaint from yet another drug-addled rock star. After his solo debut, he went back to Stone Temple Pilots, who would later breakup. Velvet Revolver came along shortly after; they released two albums and then broke up. Weiland then reunited once again with STP and dipped back into his solo career with second album, Happy in Galoshes, in 2008.