Chris Cornell – Scream

Chris Cornell is getting a lot of heat lately. Longtime fans of the Audioslave and Soundgarden singer were quite vocal about the news of his latest solo album attempt, Scream. When news broke that it would not be a rock album and that hip hop uber-producer Timbaland would be producing it, the fans revolted. Many claimed it could be the worst thing he could ever do and bashed Cornell and Timbaland to no end. I understand where they are coming from. An album produced by a hip hop producer probably isn’t going to sit well with fans of hard rock. I was even a bit leery of the collaboration because I love Audioslave. I’ll tell you what though, yesterday I bought it and I love it. I know it won’t appease all the fans who only listen to hard rock and detest everything not hard rock, but Cornell didn’t make this album for them. I applaud him for branching out and testing new waters, quite successfully I might add.

Chris Cornell has a unique voice. There is no other singer that sounds like him and he sounded great with both Soundgarden and Audioslave. I did wonder about the sound of the music that him and Timbaland would come up with. I was scared that it would be a rock-hop fusion that we heard so often in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. But it’s not rock. It’s not hip hop. The tracks on the album are funky and electric with a hint of pop. It’s something completely different from what Cornell and Timbaland usually do. Cornell’s voice over Timbaland’s production fits a lot better than anyone would have thought. This simple fact shows how great singer Cornell is and how talented of a producer Timbaland is. If you are looking for something unique, with great production and the unmistakable soulful voice of Chris Cornell, I suggest you purchase his album Scream.