Izvajalec: Cornell, Chris
Založba: Interscope Records
Izid: 2007
The second solo record from a singer who will either grow into a great solo artist or join some insanely good band.
Chris Cornell left Soundgarden in 1997, cleaned up, and put out a relaxed, one-of-a-kind solo debut, Euphoria Morning. More or less overlooked, though good and interesting, it led him into the “supergroup” Audioslave, where he joined forces with three former members of Rage Against The Machine for three records. Supergroup or not, it was on their third (and apparently last) album “Revelations” (RockLine review HERE) that Audioslave finally shook off all the baggage of their previous bands and made easily their most mature work. Sadly, that apparently wasn’t enough – Rage Against The Machine are about to come back to life with Zack de la Rocha, and Chris Cornell has headed off – for the second time – on a solo path.
Carry On is really a minimal step away from the direction Audioslave successfully laid out – punchy guitar riffs, a solid rhythm propped up mostly by the bass, and that distinctive voice tying it all together. And here’s what’s interesting – just like on Revelations, Cornell loves digging into the past when it comes to the music – all the way to catchy The Rolling Stones guitar riffs, odd Hendrix-style solo excursions and structures, and Led Zeppelin-level punch. So what’s the slight difference? A lot more acoustic guitar, a few fewer punchy riffs, and the solo bits aren’t quite so heavily “effected.” Cornell has made his own record!
Aside from the title track from the latest James Bond film, the thing that really sticks in your memory is the unusual cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. Chris admitted in an interview not long ago that he decided to cover a song nobody expected from him, and he’s right. Michael Jackson??? An extremely dramatic intro over electric guitar, the voice building and building toward a seriously hard-hitting chorus, and a voice that sounds like it was made for this song. A cover you could put right next to, say, All Along the Watchtower, as Jimi Hendrix butchered it. One of a kind.
It has to be said that near the end, in at least two songs – Finally Forever and Silence the Voices, the tempo drops off sharply, but the closer quickly fixes the impression. All in all, a very cohesive whole of fifteen songs, where every time you’ll discover some interesting little thing you haven’t heard before. Cornell will be even better on his next solo record, at least that’s what I dare to claim, even if we may have to wait another eight years for it. And if that’s the case, it’s worth asking what Cornell will be doing for those eight years?!
Production
Steve Lillywhite
Track list
1. No Such Thing
2. Poison Eye
3. Arms Around Your Love
4. Safe and Sound
5. She’ll Never Be Your Man
6. Ghosts
7. Killing Birds
8. Billie Jean
9. Scar On The Sky
10. Your Soul Today
11. Finally Forever
12. Silence The Voices
13. Disappearing Act
14. You Know My Name
15. Today (bonus track)
Album length: 55.20
