![\"\"](\"http:\/\/theduanewells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/chris-cornell-scream.jpg\" "\\"chris-cornell-scream\\"")
<\/p>\nRocker teams up Timbaland for the party album of the year<\/p>\n
By Duane Wells<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Depending upon your generation, the name Chris Cornell<\/strong> may well evoke completely different musical memories.<\/p>\n To some, Cornell\u2019s name will instantly recall the grunge era, when he was the frontman of the pivotal Soundgarden<\/strong>, a band whose signature sound personified a movement in music.\u00a0 To others, however, his name will summon up the hard rock edge of the multiplatinum super group Audioslave<\/strong>, the band he formed with former members of Rage Against The Machine<\/strong>.\u00a0 And still to others of a slightly younger bent, Cornell may best be known as the rocker whose solo reworking of Michael Jackson<\/strong>\u2019s \u201cBillie Jean\u201d inspired a showstopping knockoff of the song by American Idol<\/em> Season 7 winner David Cook<\/strong>.\u00a0 But no matter the era in which you might have discovered Chris Cornell, the one thing that has remained constant throughout his career is his ability to deliver gut-wrenchingly impassioned and soulful vocals that strike a chord with a broad and adoring audience.<\/p>\n Never really afraid of change, Cornell is taking yet another giant leap in his musical career \u00a0this year and it is one that is almost certain to endear him to whole new generation of fans.\u00a0 The serious rock star with the raspy wail that still pierces the soul has teamed up with hip-hop and R&B uber-producer Timbaland <\/strong>to record his latest album Scream<\/em>.<\/p>\n Though he is aware that the news of his writing and producing partner for his latest project may well have left some of his diehard rock fans suspended in a state of disbelief, if there\u2019s one thing Cornell has learned in his 20-plus year career, it\u2019s to follow his heart and not his critics.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are always going to be people who are critical of what an artist does from one moment of their career to the next,\u201d Cornell says about those who might not understand his new album.\u00a0 \u201cI could just have easily put out an album that is extremely reminiscent of everything else that I\u2019ve done and a lot of people would be critical because of that.\u00a0 And they would be right, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n So instead, Cornell went in a radically different direction that has resulted in a concept album he describes as some of his \u2018best work.\u2019 Anything but a compromise, Scream<\/em> is instead a brilliant synthesis of the core instincts and musical integrity that have earned Chris Cornell the moniker of rock god and the soaring soundscapes, samples and irresistible stutter-step beats synonymous with Timbaland\u2019s chart-topping production work. \u00a0The result is not only the blending of the best of all worlds musically, but this year\u2019s ultimate party album.\u00a0 Hell, he may well have created a whole new genre.<\/p>\n On the day Scream<\/em> was released and just before he was set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live<\/em>, I talked to Chris Cornell about his new album, working with Timbaland and taking chances.<\/p>\n Duane Wells: So Chris, let me just jump right in and ask the question I think will be on a lot of folks minds when they hear about Scream<\/em> \u2013 Why did you choose to work with Timbaland on this record?<\/strong><\/p>\n Chris Cornell:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Well it was kind of a whimsical idea in a way.\u00a0 I was looking for someone to do some remixes for my last album and [Timbaland\u2019s] name came up because he\u2019s worked with rock acts and I also think there was a word put out that he was interested in doing something with someone in rock.<\/p>\n I got on the phone with him and he said he wasn\u2019t really interested in doing anything with remixes\u2026he said he wanted to do new original material\u2026that he was a fan of mine and that he wanted to do something like that.\u00a0 Then I didn\u2019t know what I was going to do with two or three songs so I just thought why not go and make a whole album.\u00a0 He had a reputation for doing albums in really short periods of time, so I thought it would be great to just go in and write and record a whole album with Timbaland and see what happens.\u00a0 And that\u2019s what we did.<\/p>\n Except then we got into the studio and started having a really great time and it turned into six months.\u00a0 [Laughs]<\/p>\n DW:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But you gotta admit this is a big departure for you and not one you had to take.\u00a0 Did anyone on your management team or in your \u201cinner circle\u201d think this was a crazy idea?<\/strong><\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Nobody really did.\u00a0 I think that some fans responded that way.\u00a0 But before [we did this] we would sort of ask people without telling them that it was an idea that I was already actually planning to do, and most people came back really positive with it as just an idea.<\/p>\n But I also think with a 20-plus year recording career, it was sort of like \u2018why not?\u2019\u00a0 Why would you second guess something like that? It\u2019s not like there\u2019s something to lose from doing something different and experimenting in collaboration with someone else.\u00a0 Working with Timbaland is something that is that.\u00a0 It\u2019s a collaboration because he\u2019s sort of co-writing with you and it guaranteed that [the project] was going to be something completely different.<\/p>\n I also really went into the process completely open, wanting a record that Timbaland was very involved in, in terms of the co-writing process and the creativity process.\u00a0 I wanted it to be as different as it could be.\u00a0 Because I\u2019ve done so many albums, I wanted a completely new experience and I feel like most people seem to support that idea.<\/p>\n I can always turn around and make any type of album next month or next year or whatever.<\/p>\n DW:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What do you say to your hard core guitar rock fans who might approach this album tentatively?<\/strong><\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The first thing I would say is that you\u2019ve got to listen it from beginning to end because if you hear one song out of the context of the entire record, I think it\u2019s a bigger shock than if you listen to the whole album.<\/p>\n From beginning to end it\u2019s musically\u2026 a really rich album and in that way it\u2019s kind or more reminiscent of a 70\u2019s rock record than it is a modern hip-hop or pop album.<\/p>\n My feeling is that a lot of my fans that won\u2019t want to get behind it because it\u2019s not like a guitar-based rock record, will get into it just based on what it is.\u00a0 Forget about the predisposition of what you think I should sound like and just listen to it for what it is and listen to the music.<\/p>\n And then beyond that I\u2019m not going to be mad at people who don\u2019t like the fact that it sounds the way it does and it\u2019s completely different.\u00a0 Everybody has the right to have their own taste in music.<\/p>\n DW:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But did your own personal musical influences factor into your decision to make this record?<\/strong><\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have a lot of influences.\u00a0 I just have to be frank in saying that I\u2019ve listened to lots of different kinds of music in my entire life and only a portion of it is really guitar rock.\u00a0 Maybe not even a third of it.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of other music that I listen to and as a songwriter and a recording artist I\u2019m always going to want to include other influences in my albums and in my writing.<\/p>\n DW:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Looking back though, you\u2019ve always been open to change.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s been going from Soundgarden to Audioslave or from Audioslave to solo or even, more recently, to recording the Bond theme for Casino Royale<\/em>, mixing it up musically seems almost second nature to you.<\/strong><\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Bond theme \u2026that\u2019s a good example of embracing something that gave me the opportunity to write and sing in a style that was completely different from what I normally do.<\/p>\n One of the things that points out is that I\u2019ve done a lot of albums that have kind of brushed up against this sort of soul or R&B songwriting style or vocal but still very much in the context of a rock song.\u00a0 This album with Timbaland gave me the opportunity to really go the entire direction of R&B and soul which is something that has been very satisfying to me.<\/p>\n The Bond theme gave me the opportunity to sort of tap into the more crooner side of the way that I sing and the music that I like. And that was even in writing the song.\u00a0 Now that moment is suspended in \u2026 in that world of James Bond theme and it\u2019s going to live in there forever and I think that\u2019s really great.\u00a0 I feel like it was really true to what it was and to myself at that same time.<\/p>\n DW:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sounds like you\u2019ve got a lot of pent up creativity waiting to be explored.\u00a0 After two decades in the music biz and fourteen albums, what else are you interested in exploring at this point?<\/strong><\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t mind doing something like soundtracks or score work as long as it\u2019s not a process where I have someone standing over my shoulder telling me what to do all the time because that\u2019s the one thing I\u2019ve never had\u2026that I\u2019ve never been able to put up with [Laughs].<\/p>\n DW:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ve got two young kids, what do they think of this new sound coming from Dad?\u00a0 Are they responding differently to it?<\/strong><\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure if they\u2019re responding differently.\u00a0 They definitely like it. They sing the songs.\u00a0 They\u2019re almost entirely interested in listening to my music exclusively.\u00a0 They don\u2019t really listen to other people\u2019s records much.<\/p>\n DW:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They\u2019re big fans then\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n CC:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Yeah. They really like the new songs and sing them.\u00a0 Some of the songs are really infectious I think and it seems they\u2019ve learned the lyrics to these songs a lot faster than some of my other records.<\/p>\n DW:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019d say that\u2019s a golden endorsement if I ever heard one.\u00a0 So, final question\u2026after all these years in the business, Scream <\/em>is likely the kind of project that will bring a whole new audience to you made up of folks who may or may not have known you before.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost like you\u2019re reinventing yourself. What emotion does that prospect spark in you?<\/strong><\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Well I think it\u2019s really a great thing.\u00a0 I also think that for somebody who has so many albums it\u2019s an exciting prospect sort of moving forward and also for people looking back at the same time.<\/p>\n I remember when I would discover someone when I was 14 or 15 years old.\u00a0 I would immediately then go back and look at everything else that they\u2019d done and it was part of what made them more interesting to me.\u00a0 So that\u2019s kind of exciting for me, the idea of getting new fans through this album.\u00a0 It\u2019s great for this album alone, but it\u2019ll also be interesting to see what new fans look back on and how they respond to that.<\/p>\n When I perform and it\u2019s a headlining Chris Cornell show, I have a super diverse audience. It\u2019s just all over the place.\u00a0 There are fans that are mostly fans of my first band Soundgarden and there are fans of Audioslave because of that being the band where they discovered me.\u00a0 And then there are fans of both and fans that are more fans of my solo work, regardless of what it is.\u00a0 But I noticed that\u2026they all have their favorite periods and their favorite songs but they\u2019re kind of into all of it.<\/p>\n I feel like I\u2019ve been lucky that way.\u00a0 That I\u2019ve been able to be really diverse in my career. \u00a0That I\u2019ve been able to do stuff that a lot of other people that come from my world wouldn\u2019t dare try, just because I go up on stage and I say \u2018here it is and I believe in it[ and I show that I\u2019m inspired by it, my fans tend to get behind me and support me.<\/p>\n Fans deserve more credit than they get.\u00a0 Even from the artists.\u00a0 I\u2019ve gotten a lot of support from my fans and I\u2019m proud to say I have a pretty diverse, cool group of people that come to my shows and that buy my records.<\/p>\n Scream<\/em> is available in stores now.\u00a0 Find out more about Chris Cornell and his upcoming tour at www.ChrisCornell.com<\/a> or buy the album here<\/a>.<\/p>\n CHRIS CORNELL\u2019S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG:<\/strong> Forget what you thought you knew about former Soundgarden <\/strong>and Audioslave<\/strong> frontman, Chris Cornell<\/strong>, because on his new album, Scream<\/em>, the rock god teams up with hip-hop and R&B titan Timbaland to deliver a new sound that just might surprise you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rocker teams up Timbaland for the party album of the year By Duane Wells Depending upon your generation, the name Chris Cornell may well evoke completely different musical memories. To some, Cornell\u2019s name will instantly recall the grunge era, when he was the frontman of the pivotal Soundgarden, a band whose signature sound personified a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88889,"featured_media":982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1590,1588],"tags":[1143,1147,1133],"class_list":["post-981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","category-culture","tag-interview","tag-music","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88889"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=981"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5588,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981\/revisions\/5588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/theduanewells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/cornell-timbaland.jpg\" "\\"cornell-timbaland\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n