Album Review: Chris Cornell - Scream
Never have more insincere words been uttered than, “That bitch ain’t a part of me.” Hearing them come out of Chris Cornell’s mouth, however — now that hurts. It’s hard to recall a more recent, drastic departure than from the bleeding sincerity of “Black Hole Sun” to the opening track here on Cornell’s third solo effort, Scream, but we’ll take suggestions. With Scream, Cornell’s new collaboration with hip-hop mega producer Timbaland pours on synths and drum machines, replacing the dark, trudging guitars and actual drumming of the past. It’s baffling, really. To make matters worse, these elements have seemingly stolen anything that used to be considered soulful in Cornell’s vocals.
To be fair, and with all negatives put aside for the moment, some tracks do have redeemable qualities to them. If you can escape the first, let’s say, four tracks, then the middle part of this solo endeavor becomes quite listenable.
“Ground Zero” is fairly catchy and finds Cornell at his bluesiest here. On the whole though, it probably would have worked better for say…Nelly Furtado? (Odds are she didn’t want it.) Next up, “Never Far Away” finds him calling back to a girlfriend and explaining, “Girl there’s no doubt/ my love’s real as it comes.” If that’s not enough of a bone chiller, he continues with, “So rest assured/ our love endures/ I’m never far away.” Now, do you see the problem in taking the new hip-hop Chris Cornell seriously yet?
“Take Me Alive” goes all middle eastern on us before a guitar kicks in and brings you back to the rock universe. Considering what we’ve heard up to this point, this is probably the best track yet. “Long Gone” regresses backwards musically, but Cornell’s voice leaves it a step above those early tracks. There’s also a lyric here that seems to mirror the album’s disastrous turn of events, “That’s why I’m long gone, long gone/ You need to let me fly alone.”
Title track and current lead single, “Scream”, is just catchy, but more in the vein of Kanye West. Regardless, Cornell’s screams, alongside Timbaland’s programmed beats, work surprisingly well here. Unfortunately, the sonic pain quickly returns once “Enemy” kicks in, and when he growls, “I am the enemy,” you’re likely to believe it.
“Climbing up the Walls” almost feels like they told Timbaland to get out of the room. It’s amazing how uplifting a track this is in pale comparison to the rest of the album. The real drums fire up, the guitars rock, and Cornell sounds as good as ever. It’d be nice if the album ended here, but it wouldn’t make for a cohesively mediocre album. Much like the tepid opener, “Watch Out” ends Scream on a sour tone that’s just, well, awful.
What’s important to note is how each track transitions from one to another. It’s very subtle here, allowing the old song to fade out as a new one chimes in. It’s a shame the same can’t be said for this quantum “musical” leap in Cornell’s career. Looking back on Scream, the ex-grunge rocker could have used a better transition to this new style, especially if it’s one he plans on following up.
Rating: 
Check Out:
I will give it to him for trying something new. That is where it will end. Timberland and Cornell will not make hits. This is bland and not worth attention. Chris is way better than this. In other news, if you like the old Chris then you should check out a band called Thornley. This band is lead by Ian Thornley, he used to be the front man of Big Wreck in the late 90’s, and he and Chris sound pretty damn close. Give it a listen and tell me what you think.
what’s with digging up old reviews lately? don’t get upset with these kids najlah. i don’t much like this record but i was one othe early ones to give it up to him for trying something new. chris is one of the best singers i have ever seen live so he gets some slack from me. however trent reznor is much more than something to look at and closer isn’t even close to his best song but that’s just my opinion.
p.s. Trent Reznor sux too…the only good song NIN sang that rocked was “closer”…the only good thing about him is he’s something good to look at…other than that he SUX
Personally I love this transition…you know there is a thing called change…try it sometime…instead of criticizing…I think his voice is melodious and he can pretty much just sing any type of music and it still sounds amazing…at least he was balsy enough to break the mold and rock out in another genre…stop being so damn closed minded people…
Best voice in rock and roll, hands down, pretty much going to waste here. Couldn’t listen to this very long. Wouldn’t mind Chris revisiting his Grunge/Metal roots or, as Mike hinted at, picking up the acoustic and going in that direction. Anything to keep him singing…just not this.
mm
“You know that feeling you get when somebody embarrasses themselves so badly YOU feel uncomfortable? Heard Chris Cornell’s record? Jesus.”
apparently Trent Reznor agrees
I think if he wanted to experiment he should have done it more in the vein on the yeah yeah yeah’s new cd. try something new but dont forget your roots.
And I agree with Michael on “Seasons” from Singles OST, most definitely a shoe-in next to Euphoria Morning overall.
I guess it is true that Timbaland will work with anyone who pays him enough. No offense to Cornell’s already damaged reputation as an egotistical lead man, but how much more generic does it get than Timbaland as your “experimental outing”?
He’d have been better off with Slug from Atmosphere - if Slug were to sink that low.
i think there are way bigger d-bags than chris. kanye, maynard, axl rose and lars ulrich just to name a few.
There’s not a bigger douche in all of music then Chris.
i some how don’t think timbaland is gonna get this one to the top of the charts
i do think this is gonna be a one album try at this sound. chris seems ambitious to try a lot of different stuff maybe next we will get a soul record out of him.
The best thing about this album for me was it also got me to pick up his first solo album Euphoria Morning, which I think is the best out of the three.>>>
Without a doubt, it’s the best one there. Also download “Seasons” off the Singles Soundtrack. It’s his best song hands down.
I have to hand it to the guy for trying something different, and for the most part agree with everything already said. The best thing about this album for me was it also got me to pick up his first solo album Euphoria Morning, which I think is the best out of the three.
it’s funny somebody is actually taking advice from ironic weezer songs
I’d agree with Ana, but I give Cornell some “props” for trying something different. On the other hand, I also would throw a brick at the guy for doing the “safe thing” and going with Timbaland.
Why so generous? To dignify this album with any kind of star ranking signifies that it might actually qualify as music.
Aug 27th, 2009 at 8:16 am
[...] In news too awesome (or not) to make up, according to a recently issued press release (via TwentyFourBit), Virgin America airlines will soon entertain its passengers with music and videos from Chris Cornell’s Timbaland-produced album Scream. [...]
Jun 24th, 2009 at 8:25 am
[...] to do these days and Chris Cornell is just about done supporting his recently released solo album, Scream, the members of Soundgarden are again contemplating a reunion. Well, that’s if you believe [...]
Apr 23rd, 2009 at 12:15 pm
[...] Inside the intimate confines of Pop’s, the rock legend put on a diverse set spanning the entire length of his career from 1989 to tracks off of this years, Scream. [...]
Mar 20th, 2009 at 9:35 am
[...] the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in a new direction, it’s not one that seems to come back in their face like another artist that recently tried something new. This new direction sounds fresh, creative, and original from the [...]
Mar 16th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
[...] most notable just for the cringe factor is Leno’s Friday guest, Chris Cornell, whose Timbaland-produced, ”sociological experiment” of an album made Trent Reznor [...]