Skip to main content

IN REVIEW: Chris Cornell - "Higher Truth"


His stature as a vocalist is undisputed; Chris Cornell, for anyone who's paid even a passing glance to rock music over the last quarter century, is one of the genre's defining singers, just like other distinctive voices like Eddie Vedder and Maynard James Keenan. Whether belting out rage hymns with Soundgarden, digging for radio gold with Audioslave or presenting one of his intimate solo acoustic performances, you never confuse Cornell with someone else.

 For whatever reason, Cornell's solo records have had to endure harsher criticisms than those of his bands over the years. The first, Euphoria Mourning (I altered the spelling on it because he's done so himself on the newly reissued version of the album), dropped in 1998 (after the original split of Soundgarden) to initial excitement but eventually lived on only in the memories of card carrying fans. This was followed post-Audioslave with Carry On in 2007, which received mixed results. By far his most scrutinized solo record, though, has to be Scream; released in 2009, drew confusion and ire in equal parts for its pop-leaning tendencies and production by Timbaland.

 Time has healed most of those wounds (and Soundgarden's return certainly didn't hurt), so Higher Truth more or less gets a clean slate from me, especially given how great lead single Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart was. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of songs on the record that come close to it in terms of sound and quality (Worried Moon hits a folky sweet spot, while Murderer of Blue Skies gains momentum on its way to becoming a formidable rock song). The lion's share of songs are well sung, well performed tunes that mine the same subdued acoustic veins; most of them won't leave much impact unless you're focused in on them.

 That said, if you're a fan of Cornell's Songbook shows, you'll get a fair amount of enjoyment out of Higher Truth. If you prefer his voice accompanying music with a little more bite, you can always give Superunknown another spin. I place it at or above par with Eddie Vedder's ukulele records, in that it serves as a way to experience one of the greatest voices of our generation and chill out a bit at the same time. That said, it's a record that requires a certain headspace to achieve its fullest effect, so it's not a record that screams (no pun intended) for many return visits even though it has a few fantastic numbers on it.

September 18, 2015 • Universal
Highlights Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart • Worried Moon • Murderer of Blue Skies

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Year in Rock 2025

  Alright, I've got some explaining to do.   By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but:   a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2014: And the Winners Are...

It's been a long year, and another great one for rock n' roll. While the pop charts were overrun with barely legals obsessed with their asses, rock soldiered on undeterred even as pundits (hell, in some cases even rockers themselves) mourned the genre. Sure, rock didn't dominate the money game in 2014, but that shouldn't evoke sad nostalgia and eulogies. Even for as little perceived impact rock music made, a hell of a lot happened if people had only paid attention. From grizzled vets adding jewels to their crown (Springsteen, Petty) to new beginnings (Against Me!, Antemasque) to happy returns (Faith No More, The Tea Party) and all points in between, rock continued to thrive, evolve and thrill in 2014. Enough talk. It's winning time. Your Year in Rock winners for 2014 are...
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #10-1

Now we're getting somewhere; the top ten, where there are no duds or mids, only bangers. Also, no more teasing it out; let's wrap this up!  What I've learned this year from my ten faves this year is that it is indeed still possible for a dude approaching his fifties to more or less stay up to date on the new school. Of course, there are some listed here that got a boost from playing tribute to the old school, but there is an undercurrent happening in rock that points to the future. But, I'm getting ahead of myself; here come the champs. 10 MILITARIE GUN Life Under the Gun June 23, 2023 • Loma Vista Highlights Very High Will Logic Never Fucked Up Once Rising from the ranks of the still-potent L.A. hardcore scene, the debut record from Militarie Gun (following a trio of EPs) bears a dash of polish that's expected with backing from a larger label; the tension and energy remain, though, resulting in one of the catchiest hardcore albums I can think of in recent years. 9 ...
Post a Comment
Read more