this would be a really disappointing record if i were one of those people who clung to the 90s hopelessly— thankfully that makes it only partially disappointing… when the first song on chris cornell’s scream has a chorus that proclaims “that bitch ain’t a part of me!,” you’d think that he was trying to make it achingly clear that this album is a pop album and nothing but. unfortunately, while cornell’s new album might be a departure (to say the least), he’s not as pop as you might think.
as scream is also a timbaland vehicle, i was surprised to see the lack of “feat.” ’s that are so prevalent in rap and r&b these days. even on his most-recent ’solo’ album, timbaland was joined by at least one guest on virtually every song. so what i don’t understand is, why didn’t he do the same with cornell? that would’ve made cornell’s move toward pop much more believable and honest. i’m not kidding when i say that he really should have just went for broke and had the pussycat dolls guest on a song or two, or maybe even fellow timbaland collaborators fall out boy. i would’ve loved to have heard an album that ignored the kinds of barriers that usually exist between the “credible” rock genre, and all-out pop. maybe have eddie vedder and lil wayne join forces! what a colossal mindfuck that would be.
instead, there seems to be an unspoken distance between the kind of pop cornell is making, and the kind of pop that his own producer is regularly involved with. it’s as though cornell wants to be pop without losing what credibility he has left. by not committing to pop fully, cornell sounds like he’s simultaneously trying to erase his past while keeping those who he is ultimately trying to become at arms length. having a few guests here and there would at least legitimize what he’s doing, rather than scream seeming even more like a midlife-crisis. just look at that cover art, for fuck’s sakes. frankly, cornell can buy all the designer beats he likes, it won’t make his career any more buoyant, or his music any more relevant.
that’s the short version of this review. read on, dear reader, if you so choose. it gets a bit nerdy from here on in.
what i find so interesting about this collaboration is just hot non-collaborative it actually is. the record is billed as being chris cornell’s, but because this is such a significant change for him, i’m having a difficult time figuring out how much of the music he’s actually responsible for. every song just screams timbaland, and even lyrically, the words sound like timbaland lyrics, and not chris cornell’s. sure, you could argue then that this is a successful collaboration solely because you can’t dissociate chris cornell from timbaland; however, what timbaland is doing on scream is nothing new for him, right down to his trademark “brikki brikki’s” finding their way into one song. timbaland is much more present on the record than he’s given credit for; his involvement is significantly understated, and yet it is the record.
had the two actually met somewhere in the middle stylistically, and forced each other from their respective comfort zones, it would’ve made for a much more interesting listen. the best example of how this might have worked, and why i think it would work well, is the song “ground zero.”
this song really stands out because it’s really the only song on the record that’s remotely subtle. cornell isn’t trying to convince anyone he’s cool, young, or “with it,” and timbaland supports, incorporating cornell’s voice into the beat, rather than burying it beneath waves and waves of synths. in doing so, timbaland highlights a part of cornell that has rarely shone in recent memory. the resulting song is smooth, sophisticated, has soul and compliments both collaborator’s strengths beautifully. it even bears a resemblance to the marvin gaye masterpiece, “inner city blues (make me wanna holler)”:
soul music would be the perfect meeting place for these two, as it emphasizes cornell’s strengths as a vocalist, and timbaland’s ear for a good beat. but alas, that dream will probably only ever remain a dream, as if the last 10 years of chris cornells career are any indication, he seems more than content to continue releasing mediocre records.
Filed under: Album Review , 2009, chris cornell, scream, timbaland
