Spring Break
Play it by Ear - Timbaland helps rock star Cornell 'Scream' into the pop scene
Jesus Butler
Issue date: 3/16/09 Section: Culture
As if to throw a bone to Cornell fans of old, a crunchy guitar riff appears from time to time, but most of the songs rely heavily on sweeping synthetic arrangements that dance over phat beats and never let up, as each song segues into the next without pause.
The effect has its moments, but more often serves to emphasize the sameness of all the songs.
And it is that sameness, along with the shocking absence of any truly unforgettable hooks, which marks the album's greatest weakness.
With the exception of the stripped down "Ground Zero" (which utilizes Cornell vocalizations as part of the background rhythm to great effect) and possibly the spaciously arranged, ironically tranquil title track, the songs struggle to stand out.
The hooks are there, but they stick in your mind somewhat like a balloon caught in a tree branch: they linger for a while, but it's only a matter of time before they break free and float into the ozone, only to be forgotten.
For two men responsible for as many memorable, even timeless songs as Cornell and Timbaland are, this alone could be enough to call the album a failure.
But if you're mindful of the fact that Scream is really an album about redefining an artist's image and shattering preconceived boundaries, you can at least applaud Cornell for being willing to stretch himself to get out of the artistic slump that Carry On embodied.
While tracks like "Never Far Away," "Long Gone," "Scream" and "Enemy" resemble most closely Cornell's previous work, "Part of Me," "Sweet Revenge," "Take Me Alive" and "Other Side of Town" most fully embrace the new image the artist/producer team have crafted.
This new image comes at a price, however, as it seems the quality of Cornell's lyrics has suffered.
The man who was at one time celebrated for addressing the issues of life, love, pain and death by painting word-pictures listeners could step inside of and meditate on is now singing the same generic lyrics about regrettable hookups, revenge trips and drugged up Hollywood vixens that the pop artists he aims to be identified with have been covering for years.
"She was so friendly / I had one too many / And I let her tempt me / She was rubbing up against me," Cornell sings in "Part of Me."
As he goes on to reassure his woman that this fling "never meant a thing," you can't help but wonder if he recognizes the irony that, grand experiment that it is, Scream will most likely end up just that for most listeners: a fling they'll enjoy for a while before moving on to deeper, more meaningful musical material.
Final score: 6.5 out of 10.
jbutler@unews.com
The effect has its moments, but more often serves to emphasize the sameness of all the songs.
And it is that sameness, along with the shocking absence of any truly unforgettable hooks, which marks the album's greatest weakness.
With the exception of the stripped down "Ground Zero" (which utilizes Cornell vocalizations as part of the background rhythm to great effect) and possibly the spaciously arranged, ironically tranquil title track, the songs struggle to stand out.
The hooks are there, but they stick in your mind somewhat like a balloon caught in a tree branch: they linger for a while, but it's only a matter of time before they break free and float into the ozone, only to be forgotten.
For two men responsible for as many memorable, even timeless songs as Cornell and Timbaland are, this alone could be enough to call the album a failure.
But if you're mindful of the fact that Scream is really an album about redefining an artist's image and shattering preconceived boundaries, you can at least applaud Cornell for being willing to stretch himself to get out of the artistic slump that Carry On embodied.
While tracks like "Never Far Away," "Long Gone," "Scream" and "Enemy" resemble most closely Cornell's previous work, "Part of Me," "Sweet Revenge," "Take Me Alive" and "Other Side of Town" most fully embrace the new image the artist/producer team have crafted.
This new image comes at a price, however, as it seems the quality of Cornell's lyrics has suffered.
The man who was at one time celebrated for addressing the issues of life, love, pain and death by painting word-pictures listeners could step inside of and meditate on is now singing the same generic lyrics about regrettable hookups, revenge trips and drugged up Hollywood vixens that the pop artists he aims to be identified with have been covering for years.
"She was so friendly / I had one too many / And I let her tempt me / She was rubbing up against me," Cornell sings in "Part of Me."
As he goes on to reassure his woman that this fling "never meant a thing," you can't help but wonder if he recognizes the irony that, grand experiment that it is, Scream will most likely end up just that for most listeners: a fling they'll enjoy for a while before moving on to deeper, more meaningful musical material.
Final score: 6.5 out of 10.
jbutler@unews.com
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