Chris Cornell
Carry On

Very few artists in the rock music scene have managed to be as versatile as Chris Cornell. For the Seattle singer-songwriter, one of the most beautiful and powerful voices around, you can say anything except that he never tried to reinvent himself and change style. A symbol of the 80s/90s grunge movement along with his Soundgarden, he found worldwide success with sounds that even touched on heavy metal, seasoned with a good dose of psychedelia. Now, Chris is ready to be known as a solo singer, after a failed first attempt (Euphoria Morning) and a stint with Audioslave (together with the instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine).

The album is obviously driven by the hit "You Know My Name", which topped the charts thanks to its appearance as the soundtrack in the latest 007 film. The other two tracks, "No Such Thing" and "Arms Around Your Love", are both very beautiful and best express the two styles that Cornell explores in this album. The first is a very powerful track, with a great foundation and Cornell still continues to strain his already battered vocal cords. The second is a very sweet pop/rock song, perhaps the softest single in Cornell's entire repertoire. Although extremely commercial, it remains decidedly pleasant.

Unfortunately, of the remaining songs on the album (there are 14 in total plus two bonus tracks), none leave much of a mark. "Poison Eye" has a nice rhythm but is ruined by a solo (if it can be called that) that is horrible; it's pure noise, worse than the worst Tom Morello. "Killing Birds" is already nicer, and finally, we have a very nice guitar part. "Billie Jean" is an acoustic cover of Michael Jackson's famous hit; although unrecognizable (except for the title), it is one of the best-executed pieces, with Cornell's wonderful voice expressed in the best possible way. "Silence The Voices" very much reminds of some Audioslave ballads (a bit of "The Curse", a bit of "Wide Awake"), but it's still a very catchy piece. The average quality of the album drops significantly due to songs like "Safe And Sound", "Ghosts", "Scar On The Sky", "Finally Forever", and "Disappearing Act", which are too saccharine and slow. They could have been done without. The two bonus tracks are also pointless: if the album had ended with the beautiful "You Know My Name", it would have certainly benefited.

In conclusion, from this new solo adventure of the great Chris, an album of decent quality has emerged: commercial (starting from the cover: it looks like a CD of Duncan James or some other silly teenage idol) and repetitive, it's one of those albums that quickly bore. Recommended for those who were captivated by "You Know My Name" or love more stereotypical pop/rock. It will cause immense melancholy in those who loved the chaos of Soundgarden (but also the early Audioslave).