Chris Cornell (and Timbaland) - Scream Album Review (2009)

Review for The Music Magazine. I loved this meeting of minds a lot more than I thought I would. Cornell never lets Timbaland take too much and the rapper/producer adds his unique 'touch'. Really good stuff that works more and more on repeat listens.

Ever wondered what it would have been like if Michael Jackson had formed Audioslave? Ok not quite, but it was the first line that came to mind on the first listen and it stuck. The idea of rock God Chris Cornell and rapper-producer Timbaland teaming up for a new album should make even the most open-minded fan of either run for the hills. Sometimes the meeting of two great minds results in a total mess (Spielberg+Kubrick=AI anyone?) but occasionally it works. And thankfully, and against all the odds, Scream is one of those times.

If anything, opener Part Of Me is a very subdued introduction. Any song (let alone a lead-off album track) that starts with a fanfare, followed by demonic vocals pronouncing your arrival, makes you stand up and take notice. But what emerges is a controlled, well thought-out slice of modern bouncy electro-pop (none of this retro 80s nonsense). The combination of rock voice and dance production, coupled with a slightly misogynistic chorus, is not quite the song we were expecting. At over five minutes it rolls along into a messy outro...until you realise that we have now slid effortlessly into the next song: Time. One of the perfect things (and a simple yet sometimes overused idea) is to connect all the songs together into one glorious mix. Scream is a perfect example of how to do it well.

This first part of the album builds to a magnificent central point. Sweet Revenge has a wonderful R&B swagger without sounding soulless even if it does overuse the vocoder, and then all gets a bit old fashioned - the only time Scream ever does. Get Up plods along like it's being played at half-speed and never gets moving, until we enter the squeaky political stomp of Ground Zero. The arrangement is absurdly weird, adding to the intrigue. The link into Never Far Away is like falling into madness before the real style begins and things start to settle down. This is one of the best songs on Scream - shimmering with electronic wonder and evolving in the last minute and half as grinding guitars come in to announce an interlude.

A trilogy of songs continue the sublime run of form. To begin, Take Me Alive is dark and mysterious, Cornell recalling the tale: "There's nowhere for me to go. I'm a long way away from home. I won't go without a fight. You'll never take me alive!". Into Long Gone and things get even more chilled with another soaring chorus and some wonderful guitars - the late break forming an instant highlight. Like the previous song, the last thirty seconds builds into the next song; the title track stutters uneasily into life before taking shape. Ok so the chorus "Hey! Why you keep screaming at the top of your head" doesn't work and the voice-over is a little cheesy but this is one of those forgivable moments. Even the repetitive last few minutes glide by into a bizarrely dark outro - bringing things full circle...

...Into Enemy which quickly picks up the pace - diving between quiet verses into thumping circular chorus. Lyrically, Cornell just about gets away with "Taking my time to untangle the wires and stare into my sanity. Dropping the hammer and pulling the trigger; I know now the bullet is me" thanks to a slick serious delivery. Even the military drum break ending, sliding neatly into Other Side Of Town has enough variation to keep your interest. The song marks a brief lull, and one of the only times the album descends into a too comfortable going-through-the-motions emptiness. Just as it gets predictable, another great hook and chorus drags you back into the fray and the overwhelming embrace engulfs you again. This time it is the excellent Climbing Up The Walls with another repetitive echoing chorus and shining guitars.

Into the last (official) song and Watch Out brings together Justin Timberlake inanity with head banging foot-stomping vocals. The end is sudden and after a minute or so of silence (the classic hidden track link), the album ends with Two Drink Minimum - sounding more like Mark Lanegan, this is a wonderful slice of dance-free no nonsense blues. It is a strangely 'normal' way to end such an insanely fused and entertaining ride.

What Timbaland has done is created a dance album...that is really a rock album. Even though it has been mucked around with profusely, Cornell's voice is still at the heart of this. And that is the key. It is not soaked with rap as it could well be and Timbaland is on his best behaviour. Rock purists will hate the constant loops and beats (a good thing as there are far too many of them and they can just go away and listen to Def Leppard and keep wishing it was still 1987) but more importantly this will alienate hardcore Timbaland fans. There is always a trade-off but no manner of over-production can destroy Cornell's wonderful vocals. They shine with the kind of energy Akon is searching for but never finds.

It would be great to say that this is the sound of the future; progression if you will. But it's not that simple. This has been done before for a start. What is clear is that this is one of those times when it works. Scream is a thoroughly enjoyable ride, from subdued start to strong finish and those that are saying that the fusion of rock and dance has diluted the qualities of both have not given Scream enough time or respect. In a year when bands like U2 are trying to recapture a past glory, here are two musicians moving forward, taking a risk, reaching out...call it what you will. Trent Reznor should recognise a fellow musician making the same giant steps he has recently and stop feeling 'embarrassed'. Against all expectations, Scream is a triumph.

-- CS (for The Music Magazine)