chris cornell takes another sonic shift with 'scream'

by edna gunderson, usa today, march 2008

When Chris Cornell surfaced with Scream, his new unabashed pop album loaded with dance beats and neo-soul touches, many fans and critics cried foul. The grunge trailblazer sees it differently.

"It's a home run for me," he says. "Obviously, this is a very big shift, especially in terms of instrumentation. It's a beat-based, loop-based album even though there are guitars. It still feels very much like me."

Cornell, 44, found fame as the four-octave belter for '90s Seattle powerhouse Soundgarden and the supergroup Audioslave, formed in 2001 with Rage Against the Machine players. Scream's radical departure shouldn't surprise anyone who has followed his serpentine solo path, which included a cover of Billie Jean on 2007's Carry On.

Prince, Parliament Funkadelic, Stevie Wonder, the Staple Singers and Otis Redding were among his soul influences. And, yes, even Michael Jackson "was pretty cool for a moment," Cornell says.

Some Scream inspirations didn't yet exist in the singer's formative years. The contemporary R&B tangent "wasn't premeditated," but Cornell knew he wanted to incorporate loops and samples, hence his eagerness to collaborate with beats wizard Timbaland, the producer behind hits by Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and Missy Elliott.

Initially approached to remix Carry On tracks, Timbaland suggested teaming on Cornell's solo disc. "We clicked," Cornell says. "It was a whimsical idea but it felt right. Midway through the first song, we both felt confident."

Cornell had no misgivings about Timbaland's considerable sway as a writer and producer. "I think that footprint is one of the bonuses," he says. "I don't think subtlety is his strong point. I wanted Tim to influence the record in a big way, from the ground up."

Timbaland relished the challenge of taking a gnarly rock-metal icon into Gnarls Barkley territory.

"I love to think outside the box, and Chris allowed me to do that," Timbaland said by e-mail. "It is hard to work outside of comfort zones. We have different styles but we married the styles. We knew we could create something new and fresh. His voice is so unique; there's nothing like it."

Scream makes its debut this week at No. 10 in Billboard, despite mixed reviews, some of them scathing. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails trashed the record on Twitter as an embarrassment, prompting Cornell to tweet back, "Has anyone seen Judas? He was here a minute ago."

Cornell knows some fans won't buy a ticket on the Scream ride. Just don't expect him to stay on the Black Hole Sun carousel.

"Fans often want to plot a trajectory — 'He started here, went through this and therefore we'll predict this.' With me, it's difficult," he says. "I'm going with what feels fun and inspiring. I could turn around and make a super-aggressive hard-rock album tomorrow. It's a side I still enjoy."

Though Cornell was shaped by a broad array of musical styles and heroes, one band informs every career move.

"The Beatles did whatever they wanted," he says. "They were a collection of influences adapted to songs they wanted to write. George Harrison was instrumental in bringing in Indian music. Paul McCartney was a huge Little Richard fan. John Lennon was into minimalist aggressive rock.

"That's what they taught me about rock music. Anything goes."

 

originally available as an online feature here

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