Spring Break
Chris Cornell's 'Scream' more of a weak shout
2 and a half out of 5 stars
Issue date: 3/19/09 Section: Focus
Collaboration. Is there any word in the world of pop music more stirring to the soul? It's a rare treat when artists hoist themselves out of their happy little ruts and try tackling strange, new frontiers of music for the listeners' benefit. Some mash-ups have become legendary, some revolutionize genres and some, well, some involve Jimmy Page and Puff Daddy and were featured on the Godzilla soundtrack.
The point is, in a pop music industry that is slow to evolve, "Scream," a collaboration between former Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell and pop producer Timbaland, didn't just seem crazy enough to work; it was crazy enough to shake things up considerably. Cornell's iconic alley cat yowl still seethes with the same wild, virile energy it did back in his Soundgarden days and Timbaland's quaking drone-funk beats practically crackle with charisma, sounding at once mechanized and oddly organic. It's disappointing, then, that "Scream" has taken the worst of both worlds and delivered a product that is lamely, frigidly lifeless.
The opening track, "Part of Me," provides a worrisome sample of things to come, as Cornell's soulful vocals are quickly nullified by his featureless, synthy accompaniment, and never allowed to roam. Cornell's melodies are repetitive and unadventurous, struggling to carry any thematic weight while contorting themselves to fit within Timbo's rigid backing tracks. It's hard not to think of Cornell's presence as supplemental to Timbaland's club-drab intentions. "Scream" feels like Mr. Timbo's Wild Ride and Chris Cornell is riding shotgun.
Despite all the stylistic smothering he gets for his troubles, it's still cool to see an artist like Cornell hurling himself out of his comfort zone with gusto, but Timbaland does not return the favor so eagerly. Aside from a few overdriven guitars occasionally blasting a power chord progression, "Scream" is typical Timbaland fare, to the point where you swear he's just recycling his old tricks on the album's largely banal backburner beats (and indeed he does: listen to "Other Side of Town" around the 1:01 mark for a vocal sequence straight out of 2006's "Lovestoned").
One of the rare instances in which the two seem to reach a compromise that works is "Ground Zero," a subdued track that keeps instrumentation mercifully sparse and resonant. The eastern-stylized "Take Me Alive" just barely avoids being kitschy with its boisterously "ethnic" instrumentation, and actually achieves a level of grit and flair that suits both artists' strengths.
But even with these gems showcasing what a Timbo/Cornell collab could have been, "Scream" is, for the most part, a failed experiment; a Frankenstein of an album that, when it feels like doing so, tries to resolve its own identity crisis by throwing in more of the same tired clichés we wanted to escape from in the first place. Cornell and Timbaland both deserve respect for trying to bridge the gap between rock and roll and the club scene, but thanks to "Scream," we're off to a shaky start.
The point is, in a pop music industry that is slow to evolve, "Scream," a collaboration between former Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell and pop producer Timbaland, didn't just seem crazy enough to work; it was crazy enough to shake things up considerably. Cornell's iconic alley cat yowl still seethes with the same wild, virile energy it did back in his Soundgarden days and Timbaland's quaking drone-funk beats practically crackle with charisma, sounding at once mechanized and oddly organic. It's disappointing, then, that "Scream" has taken the worst of both worlds and delivered a product that is lamely, frigidly lifeless.
The opening track, "Part of Me," provides a worrisome sample of things to come, as Cornell's soulful vocals are quickly nullified by his featureless, synthy accompaniment, and never allowed to roam. Cornell's melodies are repetitive and unadventurous, struggling to carry any thematic weight while contorting themselves to fit within Timbo's rigid backing tracks. It's hard not to think of Cornell's presence as supplemental to Timbaland's club-drab intentions. "Scream" feels like Mr. Timbo's Wild Ride and Chris Cornell is riding shotgun.
Despite all the stylistic smothering he gets for his troubles, it's still cool to see an artist like Cornell hurling himself out of his comfort zone with gusto, but Timbaland does not return the favor so eagerly. Aside from a few overdriven guitars occasionally blasting a power chord progression, "Scream" is typical Timbaland fare, to the point where you swear he's just recycling his old tricks on the album's largely banal backburner beats (and indeed he does: listen to "Other Side of Town" around the 1:01 mark for a vocal sequence straight out of 2006's "Lovestoned").
One of the rare instances in which the two seem to reach a compromise that works is "Ground Zero," a subdued track that keeps instrumentation mercifully sparse and resonant. The eastern-stylized "Take Me Alive" just barely avoids being kitschy with its boisterously "ethnic" instrumentation, and actually achieves a level of grit and flair that suits both artists' strengths.
But even with these gems showcasing what a Timbo/Cornell collab could have been, "Scream" is, for the most part, a failed experiment; a Frankenstein of an album that, when it feels like doing so, tries to resolve its own identity crisis by throwing in more of the same tired clichés we wanted to escape from in the first place. Cornell and Timbaland both deserve respect for trying to bridge the gap between rock and roll and the club scene, but thanks to "Scream," we're off to a shaky start.
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