CARRY ON - CHRIS CORNELL
The cover art on Chris Cornell’s second solo album suggests a folk record from the early ’60s (and the title suggests a Kansas cover lurking about somewhere). But the music inside is strictly crunchy, dare-we-say-grungy rock straight out of the ’90s that Cornell helped shape with Soundgarden. “Ghosts” sports a nostalgically Seattle-ish minor-chord riff and appropriately soaring chorus; “No Such Thing” out-Velvet Revolvers Scott Weiland; and meaty-sounding ballads “Disappearing Act” and “Silence” end the record in unusually strong fashion. Elsewhere, the headline-grabbing cover of “Billie Jean” is well intentioned but still a little silly, although it boasts a crazy, Eddie Van Halen-sounding solo. The best thing here is “You Know My Name” from last fall’s “Casino Royale,”: which is some of Cornell’s most uncomplicated and accessible music to date. Billboard
