Geez. I'm busy for a couple days(moving stuff for my sis) and I come back and find yet another argument between a Stapp fan(Nips) and a non-Stapp fan(Uncertain). I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
I've stated my opinion of Stapp(and Creed and Alter Bridge) several times, but will say a few things here. I am an equal fan of Stapp, Creed and Alter Bridge. Creed was the band that got me into Rock music in the first place. Without them, I would probably still listen to that ridiculous Pop music, simply because I wouldn't know how good Rock music can be. Still, 99% of the Rock bands that are popular suck. Creed is, in my opinion, a part of that 1% that do not suck. I hate how people compare Creed to bands like Nickelback, Hoobastank, Puddle of Mudd etc.(I won't pick on 3 Doors Down, as I can stand them) The fact is, when Creed first started out(with MOP) a lot of critics respected and even liked Creed. Creed had a massive amount of success with MOP on just Rock radio. Four number one rock hits, if I remember correctly. Then came Human Clay, which was softer than MOP. Still had some awesome songs, though. Higher broke through and became a huge hit on Pop radio. And that's where it started to go bad, in terms of critics. People started hating on Creed, partly because of the fact that they were on Pop radio, constantly being played. Rock stations didn't like them anymore because it felt like they, in a way, sold-out. Wasn't Creed's fault, as they had no say about what songs got played on what stations. WAWO made even more people hate Creed. Even those who did like Creed at one point, turned on them because it was "un-popular" to like Creed. My brother-in-law bought Human Clay, then eventually turned against Creed. I believe it was because of that Pop radio airplay.
Weathered made Creed even more hated. The album was the softest of the three, and it seemed like Creed was only making music to make money. I blame Wind-Up for this, not the guys. I believe Wind-Up forced them into making an album suitable for Pop radio airplay. Hey, it worked, as it did get them two huge hits. But it did the band no good. The constant touring took its toll on the band and ultimately, in my opinion, led to the demise.
Despite it all, I still loved and respected Creed, the band. The music made a difference in my life and I have been greatly influenced by Mark's guitar playing(that was the main reason I took up guitar) and Scott's lyrics(I have been writing song lyrics for almost a year). When the break-up was announced, I was definitely bummed. But, being the positive thinking person that I now am, I thought of the positives. First, since the band members had been rumored to not get along with one another, now they would no longer have to deal with that. Now they'd have peace. Second, now we'd get twice the amount of good music. That was very exciting to me, and immediately I began to get excited about Stapp's solo project and the new band formed by Phillips and Tremonti. I didn't know much about it, but I knew that it was very promising. Soon I heard OYE for the first time, and, at first, didn't care for the vocalist. Yes, from June until September, I was not a Myles Kennedy fan. I missed Stapp's vocals. But I gave Myles another chance, and his vocal ability grew on me. Now I can say that I like him as much as I like Stapp. Myles just has incredible range. It's not like he's only had this kind of talent in Alter Bridge; that talent is evident in his work in the Mayfield Four. Not only is this guy an awesome singer, but he is also a very good lyricist(based off of his work in MF4) and a good guitarist. This guy is a very well rounded musician who can hold his own both as a guitarist and as a singer. Not too many singers nowadays can say that. Myles is, in my opinion, one of the most talented musicians in Rock today.
Stapp is, in my opinion, an awesome lyricist and pretty good singer. His voice fit Creed perfectly; if Myles were to sing a Creed song, it just would not fit. No one denies Scott's talent as a lyricist and as a singer. Some do, however, bash Stapp as a person. I prefer not to judge Stapp, so I stay out of those arguments. I don't defend him as a person, but will gladly defend him as a musician. Of course, I will do all of this in a respectful way. Nips, people apparently think you haven't voiced your opinion in a respectful. Bashing Myles is not the way to make friends here, to have people respect you. ESPECIALLY in the way that you have done so. It is one thing to say that you do not like Myles, but it is a totally different thing to bash Myles in the way that you have. Uncertain strongly dislikes Stapp, yet he doesn't constantly rip into him. I don't agree with Uncertain's assessment of Creed and Stapp, but I respect the way in which he has voiced his opinion. The point is, you have to be respectful in voicing your opinion. Otherwise, you'll see a lot of people who strongly disagree with you.