Chris Cornell can’t dance. If he could, he wouldn’t have transformed “Billie Jean” into a funkless piano-and-guitar dirge, a trick he pulls eight tracks into his second solo album.
Handing Zack De La Rocha his walking papers in favor of Cornell was the best move Audioslave ever made. Cornell has one of the great voices in modern rock — gruff, yet powerfully melodic. Frequently trafficking in unexpected imagery, his lyrics jump out amid the hard-rock clichés smothering contemporary radio. And on this album, he’s got a solid backing band with another secret-weapon guitarist: the maniacal noise-sculptor and avant-gardist, Gary Lucas of Gods and Monsters. This dude throws one curveball after another at a set of otherwise conventional rock songs.
There’s a lot of radio fodder on Carry On. “She’ll Never Be Your Man,” “Disappearing Act,” and “Finally Forever” could cross over to country fans, while “Killing Birds” and “Your Soul Today” are reminiscent of Soundgarden’s later, weirder albums. But ultimately, it doesn’t hold together as an album, because there’s no concept beyond “Here’s a bunch of songs I wrote” — plus that bizarre Michael Jackson cover.
This article appears in Jul 11-17, 2007.
“But ultimately, it doesn’t hold together as an album, because there’s no concept beyond “Here’s a bunch of songs I wrote” — plus that bizarre Michael Jackson cover.”
Why does there have to be a concept for every album? Cornell is so talented and creative he shouldn’t have to be pigeon-holed into one type of sound or theme per album.
I love the fact that “Carry On” is all over the place. I won’t get bored with the same sound or style repeated in 14 tracks. Diversity is a good thing!!!
The “bizarre Michael Jackson cover” started out as a joke. You need to see Cornell perform this song live in concert to really appreciate how he takes this pop song and makes it his own. Much in the same vein as Johnny Cash did with Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage”.
Don’t write off “Carry On”. Just as his first solo album “Euphoria Morning” was, “Carry On” is a grower. Some of the songs come off very simplistic, at first listen. Each subsequent listen reveals something new. I listen to it quite frequently and have yet to get bored with it.