Posted on: March 31, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Even diehard Chris Cornell fans have to admit the sound of the former Soundgarden front man backed by Timbaland’s electronic beats is a tad bit disconcerting. Now imagine an entire album of this Cornell hip hop hybrid.

On first blush the songs are hard to take, but after repeated listens, a few of the tracks start to show some appeal, (particular the vitriol-laced album opener “Part of Me” and it’s polar opposite “Never Far Away”). The bulk of the songs, however are average at best and would quickly drift off into obscurity if not for Cornell’s notoriety.

Cornell should certainly be respected for not wanting to cover the same ground already taken with grunge Gods Soundgarden and the more rock-focused Audioslave, but his foray into electronics-heavy hip hop may be a little further than most Cornell fans are willing to follow. A plea to Cornell: please bring back the guitars… at least one more time.

Top Track: “Part of Me” and “Never Far Away”

Rating: 6.9 out of 10

Chris Cornell – Scream / CD / 2009 Interscope / 13 Tracks / http://www.chriscornell.com

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