Between questionable personal habits and rocky relationships with big-time bands, it’s easy to ignore Scott Weiland’s knack for keeping pop rock light on its feet—a rare skill in such a ponderous singer. On his second solo album, he demonstrates his dexterity mainly in the beginning of the vaguely breakup-themed first disc. Mood enhancers like “Blind Confusion” and “Blister on My Soul” set tart melodies to a guitar punch that compensates for a shortage of coherent content. But from there, things slow down and bloat up: 19 songs total, including several overextended confessional ballads, add up to a major slog. Intermittent bossa nova undercurrents, ornate orchestrations, androgynous Anglophile covers of David Bowie and the Smiths and assistance from sundry No Doubt and INXS members can’t save Weiland from his own sappy ambition, even when he starts begging to be saved.

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