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Chris Cornell returns with his third album; an ambitious affair from a hard rock heavyweight. 'Scream' boldly strips back all elements of guitar and rock, replacing it with an electro-urban approach. Longtime followers of the former frontman of 'Soundgarden' and 'Audioslave' could be left quickly disappointed. Absent is any musical sound relating to associated acts or past solo-work, instead acquiring R ‘n’ B producer Timbaland to juxtapose Cornell’s crooning vocals with slick, electro beats.
Despite sounding refreshing and contemporary; 'Scream' is an intriguing hybrid. In theory, everything "Chris Cornell" is there; his attitude and distinctive voice, but at the same time, to the album’s credit, it’s something totally new. He has successfully taken the elements of his renowned rock self and meshed them with the trademark of one of R ‘n’ B’s perennial players. Of course this isn’t the first time artists have tried their luck in the uncharted territories of a conflicting genre. But there’s no denying it remains a gutsy collaboration on Cornell’s part, while showcasing Timbaland’s clever knack to make anything work. And let’s be honest, who’d have thought sixteen years ago the grunge figurehead would be providing something to groove to?
The result is a genre-bending record only capable of being made by two musical innovators. The thirteen slabs of pulsating pop-rock also have the artistic theme of being one complete piece of music. There are no gaps between tracks as they seamlessly blend into one another, as well as drawing the power to stand as individual listening.
The slight fault in it all however, is it’s obvious that Cornell’s voice is meant for a hard and distorted guitar backing. This leaves it occasionally exposed against the record’s digitally produced sound. Diehard fans may also be disappointed by what they hear, but it’s a potential career step up to success. It also raises the intriguing question of will it be followed up with remixes of some of his classics? Revamped versions of 'Black Hole Sun', or perhaps 'Cochise', could be very interesting. And who knows, if 'Scream' is a chart topper maybe some of his contemporaries could even be influenced. Eddie Vedder teaming up with Kayne West anyone? OK, maybe not. It remains to be seen where his career will go from here, and how the new material will be met live. However, the album’s main praise remains whether you love or loathe his new found sound, 'Scream' is Chris Cornell; just not quite how we know him.
Reviewed by Peter Angell
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Wednesday 8th April 2009
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