Partly influenced by Pink Floyd’s The Wall (though it’s hard to spot where) and produced by hip-hop hit machine Timbaland, Chris Cornell’s third solo album is easily his most adventurous to date.
That it also reeks of rampant self-indulgence suggests it hasn’t quite hit the spot as either would have hoped.
Rather than have Cornell bring his big-voiced bag of rock tricks to a beat-laden rag bag of intricate rhythms and eclectic synthesised soundscapes, it may have been more interesting for Timbaland to have attempted a straight rock album. Cornell’s voice works best when there’s a tune for it to wrap itself around – Ground Zero and the exotics on offer in Never Far Away stand out – but all too often the voice sounds like it belongs in the next room.
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