Of all the "what the fuck?" inducing collaborations in music history this might be the what the fuckiest. Chris Cornel, the man behind Soundgarden and Audioslave has teamed up with Timbaland, the man behind Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, to make Scream, which should be in stores sometime in early February.
I am a huge fan of Chris Cornell. If I made a list of my top ten favorite bands Soundgarden would be number 1 and Audioslave would be number 2. Temple of the Dog (his one time collaboration with Pearl Jam) and his solo work (even though Carry On was a bit of a disappointment) would probably both be in the top ten as well. Still, this mix just sounded like a bit too much for me. I mean I enjoy Timbaland when I’m out at the bars, but Chris should be singing about Black Hole Sun’s not Promiscuous Girls.
The first single, Long Gone, was debuted on The Ryan Seacrest Show making it even less rockish and more what the fuckier. And the early reviews have been well, mixed. Some are extremely negative, but quite humorous. Like this gem, “While better respected and less dead than most grunge singers, Cornell has been in decline for some time," and,
In order to minimize the traumatic effects of experiencing the subsequent Cornell/Timbaland samples, I'll start the dissection process with "Watch Out," a malignant musical tumor that makes the other songs, any one of which might normally be the worst thing you've heard all year, seem benign by comparison.
He then goes on to explain why three choruses describing the antics of a reckless driver may be a wee bit excessive. Of course the language he used was a bit more, oh I don't know, course. Even the positive reviews have to get a shot or two in, “...with Cornell's angsty rock-god vocals ricocheting off Timbo's skittering beats, are fresher and more enjoyable, at least in a monkey-riding-a-tricycle sort of way."
Haha! Well I guess that’s what you get when the guy who sung “pearls and swine bereft of me” is now singing “pick it up, pick it up, watch out, now pick it up.” I mean honestly, what the hell does that even mean?
However, while some of the songs like “Part of Me” and “Watch Out” have some of the dumbest lyrics I’ve ever heard, others like “Ground Zero” and “Long Gone” aren’t bad. And the hidden track that got leaked, “Two Drink Minimum,” is brilliant. It’s very reminiscent of his first and highly underrated album “Euphoria Morning.”
Overall, from what I’ve heard (almost half the album), I like it. Even though I feel like I shouldn’t. Maybe I really shouldn't. I mean rock fans are supposed to be all self-righteous and only like rock. Anything else is sell out corporate crap meant to brainwash us right? Oh well, maybe I'm breaking out, I don't know. Regardless, Scream has a certain Gnarls Barkley feel with an undeniable energy to it. And Cornell's signature vocals haven't sounded this good since his early days in Soundgarden. The new stuff is by no means as good as Soundgarden, Audioslave or Euphoria Morning, but it’s still enjoyable R&B. Hell it’s probably my favorite R&B/hip hop music of all time (not that that’s saying much). And hey, everyone needs a couple of club hits right?
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