Chris Cornell and Timbaland - Why?
I have to admit that when I first heard that Chris Cornell was going to do an album with Timbaland, I almost cringed at the very thought and notion of such a collaboration. Don’t get me wrong, Timbaland has proven himself as a great producer and artist and has been on a roll with a variety of artists like Nelly Furtado, Madonna, and Justin Timberlake in creating some great radio hits and club tracks. Even though he proved he could work with such unique artists like Bjork, Chris Cornell is somewhat of a rock icon from the 90s whose vocal abilities are almost unmatched in the rock scene. With Soundgarden, Cornell helped create dark and edgy music that showed great depth and complexity and even showcased this ability on several solo albums and even in the supergroup Audioslave. While Cornell has the great ability to adapt his unique style and vocal ability over a broad spectrum, it still seems like heresy to relegate him to a more electro friendly urban sound. Timbaland and Cornell though have gone against the usual convention and meshed their sounds together to form the album titled Scream.
While I applaud the effort of their work on Scream and have to agree there are several decent tracks on the album, I still don’t know if I am actually sold on the concept after several listens. That doesn’t mean, however, that the album doesn't shine at times and, in fact, the unique fusion of Cornell and Timbaland definitely lifts it up from the usual music Timbaland produces.
A Layered Voice Sounds Good Over Electronic Beats
Cornell’s voice adds a certain complexity and deepness that other artists for Timbaland can’t match and several songs definitely generate a certain buzz on their own. With that in mind though, I kept expecting Cornell to rock out with some guitar riffs but found myself being assaulted with machine beats, layers of string-like synths, rippling keyboards, and electronic beeps which sometimes didn’t do Cornell’s vocal justice in the song and the emotion he was conveying. Once you adjust to that though, the album moves along nicely, interwoven with other diverse sounds like "Take Me Alive" which features Indian sitars mixed with exotic beats.
The tracks in general have an overall good sound and seem to flow from one to another with fluidity with the lyrics generating some interest on matters like infidelity, a relationship he won't give up on, and even about a relationship that is out of control. As far as the quality of the tracks, there are several worth mentioning.
A Few Highlights
"Time" is a great song that is poppy and features very well-produced vocals while "Other Side of Town" is an incredible track in which the melodies are just moving with the snare drum taking center stage in the song as opposed to the kick drum which really adds to the feel of the track.
Another great track is the more blues-inspired “Watch Out” which we see Cornell’s vocals become soulful and the dirty blues are played out in the second half the song while maintaining the Timbaland produced sound. Other tracks worth mentioning also are “Never Far Away" which seems custom-built for a nightclub and “Scream” which delivers a catchy and irrestible tune.
Other tracks though seem to less inspired and the collaboration doesn’t play out as well. We find a less optimistic Cornell on the tracks "Ground Zero" in which he sings "When all the world keeps holding on to ground zero... it's every man for himself... The war that rages over the ages, you can't erase it." It is here that sometimes we find where the stylings of Timbaland and Cornell don’t flesh out as well when such serious lyrics are being underplayed by the club beats that Timbaland has provided. It lacks the emotional connection it would have garnered as a pure rock track. Some tracks also come off as a bit generic and staid, like “Part of Me,” with a chorus that drops out lyrics like “the bitch ain't a part of me" which seem alien coming from Cornell and makes the song seem more contrived and less original. “Take Me Alive” is another track that fails to deliver for Cornell and too similar with “Sweet Revenge” in their construction while “Get Up” fails to deliver anything of notice.
A Screaming Summary
Overall, Scream is an album in which you will love or extremely hate. Purist fans of the grunge and alternative scene from the 90s who love Cornell and what he did to progress that scene to the mainstream will more and likely not take well to Cornell’s newest effort but those who can have an open mind and who are fans of Timbaland’s urban sound will probably enjoy this unique collaboration. Some may wonder if Cornell has allowed his vocals to be compromised by the slick production of Timbaland and now leaves his fans in a quandary of sorts: is this a one off experimental synthesizer/canned drum laden pseudo hip hop album or is this an example of Cornell being at a crossroads as to where his musical career should go or better yet, will he return to what he does best on his next album with a new group or solo? I can see both sides but I fall somewhere fall in between because I can appreciate the album for what it is but would like to see Cornell go back to what he does best. I definitely feel you should check out the album for yourself because it is definitely a fun and unique experience and who knows, you might like it and appreciate it for what it is. Sometimes the things we enjoy the most occur when we dare to venture out into new and undiscovered territory and take a chance and maybe Scream will be that musical experience that you can’t resist.
Released March 2009 on Interscope
