Skip to main content

IN REVIEW: Corey Taylor - "CMFT"

 


Corey Taylor is a very creative person, and one with many outlets. Of course, his pair of world-conquering bands (Slipknot and Stone Sour, if you need to be reminded) spring to mind immediately, with well over two decades and a dozen albums' worth of material to channel himself through. Then, there are the countless guest appearances on other artists' work, the four books he's penned to date, and the numerous film and TV appearances. He's also known for his love of performing covers, alone or with friends, as a cursory YouTube search will reveal.

After decades of hard work, by 2020 about the only thing he hadn't done was release an actual solo album, so here we are. If the myriad of other projects he routinely dips his toes into didn't exactly give it away, it at least makes sense when put in that context that CMFT would be a scattershot affair with Taylor wildly and gleefully throwing everything at the wall. There's Volbeat-esque cowboy metal, radio-ready butt rock, cock rock inspired anthems and possibly the most horribly out of touch rap-rock turd that I've ever heard (CMFT Must Be Stopped most definitely should have been stopped).

The thing is, it's evident that Corey and his cohorts had an absolute blast making this record; the performances are loose and free of the pressures that come with following up, say, Iowa or Come What(ever) May. Without expectations and given free reign, it shouldn't be surprising that Taylor would approach CMFT like a kid in a candy store.

The other thing is, when you're throwing everything at the wall, it helps if something sticks; aside from the occasional catchy chorus or particularly interesting sonic swerve, there really isn't much of substance here. Also, as an album, there's no momentum to be had when it seems like every song is paying tribute to a different influence; Taylor could have accomplished a potentially more intriguing album if he was simply recording covers of his favourite artists instead.

All said, you can't really fault the guy for letting loose; I just wish the resultant album had fewer wild stunts and more good ideas.

October 2, 2020 • Roadrunner
Highlights Black Eyes Blue • Samantha's Gone • Silverfish

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

Hear Me Out: Why Do A Greatest Hits Album?

So, Silversun Pickups announced a "singles collection" today. Now, I'm no expert on "singles" or "hits" compilations; even so, I've got to say this announcement threw me for a loop for a couple of reasons. For starters, isn't it a bit early for a band like Silversun Pickups to be given the "greatest hits" treatment? I know, I know, it's a "singles collection". But, come on; it looks like a greatest hits album, it smells like a greatest hits album, so on so forth. More importantly, though, are these really necessary entities in 2014? I mean, who is this album for? Casual fans who've already downloaded the singles they like or established fans who are expected to shill out $15 for one new song?
1 comment
Read more