The Voice of Chris Cornell

My wife put a CD on the stereo the other day while we were doing some work around the hizzy… uh, house. Being immersed in my task I paid little notice to the music until something caught me off guard…

It was a Michael Jackson song, but with a soulful, booming rock and roll vocal.

Upon further investigation, the disc that was playing was Chris Cornell’s latest solo effort, Carry On. The MJ song was “Billie Jean”. Listening to this reminded me what a great rock and roll voice that Cornell possesses.

Now, I’m not talking technical greatness, ala a Geoff Tate from Queensryche, but rather that raw and “gravely” voice with the requisite power and emotion. One of those rare voices that, the minute you hear it, you know who it is.

Cornell has had a long and successful career, beginning with Soundgarden in 1984 and the more recent Audioslave. There was also an excellent side project called Temple of the Dog in 1990, as well as his first and highly acclaimed solo album, Euphoria Morning, released in 1999.

Rumors abound on the web of a Soundgarden reunion, which the Connoisseur for one, would love to see. However, no official announcement has been made.

For now, let’s listen to the back catalog of Chris Cornell’s excellent work and enjoy what we believe is currently one of the best voices in rock.