CD Title: Weathered

BMG/Wind-Up Records

By Adam Bowman

Like them or not, it's hard to deny an album that has held the number one slot on Billboard's almighty Top 200 charts for eight straight weeks. Besides, it's good to have a rock album sitting on top. The only question is, why is it up there?

The main reason Creed's "Weathered" has held onto the top step is because it is the band being themselves. Although some tracks stray from their formula for success, such as the harder-edge "Signs", there are enough songs here to make you realize that their tune has not changed since "Higher" hit the airwaves so many moons ago. While "Who's Got My Back", complete with Native American chants throughout, and "Hide" show the three-piece at their most mediocre, "My Sacrifice" and "Stand Here WIth Me" showcase Mark Tremonti stepping it up (even though you can more than hear a little bit of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" in the aforementioned first single) and Scott Stapp having lyrical bombast not seen since David Coverdale.

Bottom line, Creed is still Creed on "Weathered", and may never fully deviate from being Creed (yes, there are those religious moments in there, too). Even though this may annoy many of us, this simply follows an age-old proverb: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."