Chris Cornell - Carry on
List Price:
Our Price: $7.99
You Save: $5.99 (43%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.46 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Music CD Cover
Artist: Chris CornellEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-06-05
Music Label: Interscope Records
Soundtracks:
- No Such Thing
- Poison Eye
- Arms Around Your Love
- Safe and Sound
- She'll Never Be Your Man
- Ghosts
- Killing Birds
- Billie Jean
- Scar on the Sky
- Your Soul Today
- Finally Forever
- Silence the Voices
- Disappearing Act
- You Know My Name
Free Music Notes for Carry on
Free Music Review: A New Source of Inspiration
Hit: 5 Stars
Anyone expecting Chris Cornell to rehash and recycle well-pioneered paths from previous albums is in for a pleasant surprise with "Carry On". For Cornell, musical exploration and adventurous spirit trumps churning out variations on a commercially proven theme, a danger that his last band Audioslave flirted with at times on "Out of Exile" (2005) and "Revelations" (2006). It's no wonder then that Cornell was ready to strike out again on his own.
Conscious reinvention or natural evolution, the results are magnificent and hardly unexpected given the recent tectonic shifts in Cornell's personal life. Having openly abandoned substance abuse, Cornell went through an apparently acrimonious divorce, married anew, had two new children, took up residence in France and restored and opened a hip Paris restaurant and club, "Black Calavados".
It's not that there aren't nostalgic Cornell trademarks throughout the material -- to the contrary, actually: familiar chord progressions, riffs, vocal patterns and lyrical themes are judiciously (and naturally) integrated into the material. The shifting riff-driven hook of "No Such Thing" recalls both recent Audioslave work and Soundgarden hits of yore. Hardcore Soundgarden fans will recognize the chorus chord progression of the rocking "Poison Eye" as uncannily similar to "Down on the Upside" (1996) B-Side "Karaoke".
Hooks abound in infectious pop gem "Arms Around Your Love", laden with rich harmonies, most notably in the chorus. Ostensibly a whipping from a vicious Monday-morning quarterback of a conscience about failures that drove a lover into another's arms, it's really a broader reflection of regret for things that weren't said when it counted. In this context, "she" could be interpreted as one's sense of regret ("she's gonna make you pay for it"), and the "he" with his "arms around your love" could be death, rather than the lover for whom your lover left you.
"Safe and Sound" is extraordinarily well crafted in its evolution from observing global dysfunction, to diagnosing the causes thereof, to prognosis, if not prescription, for cure. Tapping into the zeitgeist of angst and uncertainty in the face of rampant consumerism, environmental destruction, tribalism, tyranny, militarism and terrorism, the quavering uncertainty of "Safe and Sound" in the verses nevertheless rises and resolves in the pre-chorus, chorus and bridge into a heartening, almost defiant optimism. After all, Cornell believes in a promised land.
"Silence the Voices", epic and sweeping, embodies a cinematic sturm und drang not found in Cornell's work since Soundgarden's "Superunknown" (1994). The military drum, down-tuned chord progression, fluid bass and jangly guitar provide an ominous yet melancholy backdrop for the theme. Cornell is more at home in this type of broader social criticism than in the current-events-driven "Rage"-style anger of Audioslave's "Wide Awake", promising a more lasting relevance to this song than "Wide Awake".
To be sure, the torment, depression, and ambivalence about fame that dogged Cornell through the time of his last solo album "Euphoria Morning" (1999) resulted in some profound music and lyrics. But although we are reminded in the chorus of the richly rewarding "Ghosts" that the old Cornell "doesn't live here anymore", it's just a less tormented, more assured adult into which the old Cornell has grown. "Carry On" amply demonstrates that love, optimism, passion for life and a sense of responsibility are an equally fertile source of inspiration for an artist of Cornell's prodigious talents.
Carry on Poster
Carry On is the 13th album by two-time Grammy winner, singer-songwriter and voice of a generation, Chris Cornell. Steered by Grammy Award-winning British super- producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Rolling Stones, Morrissey, Dave Matthews Band), Carry On is a mature and content departure from the acrimonious artist who brought us Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog.The new album's fourteen tracks offer the bluesy and soulful "Safe and Sound," psychedelic "Scar On The Sky," country-flavored "Finally Forever"... paeans to persistence in "Disappearing Act" and a slow-grind cover of Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" that gives the familiar song a completely new feeling. More personal selections include "Ghost," "Arms Around Your Love" and "She'll Never Be Your Man" and alt-rock experimentations ("Killing Birds" the anthemic "Silence the Voices"). Fans of Soundgarden and Audioslave will appreciate the harder edge of "No Such Thing" and "Poison Eye" and the redemptive "Your Soul Today."
Carry On also includes the Top 10 European smash hit "You Know My Name," the main title song for the current James Bond theatrical release, Casino Royale, appearing for the first time on a full-length release. Cornell wrote and recorded the track with long-time James Bond composer David Arnold for the film.
With this collection of songs, it is evident that Cornell was inspired by songwriters from Elvis Costello to Tom Waits. Cornell says that his own lyrical approach leans on stream-of-consciousness, "getting out of my own way" to allow themes to naturally arise, whether topical or biographical. "The most exciting thing is to let yourself expose your true, vulnerable feelings, which is what resonates with people most," he explains. As far as his vocal style, he points to such R&B singers as Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin for showing masterfully how emotion can best be conveyed, even in subtle phrasing, also praising Bob Marley's expressive range and Tom Waits' use of his voice as an instrument.
Change has been a constant in Chris Cornell's life since Soundgarden split in 1997. Sober and over 40 now, he lives in France with his wife and daughter. His first solo album (1999's Euphoria Morning) was lauded in the press, but disregarded by the public. And his supergroup Audioslave eventually fizzled after a trio of albums. But on Cornell's long-awaited sophomore solo effort, it's obvious something hasn't been altered: the voice, a distinguished instrument still pure and resonant--and authoritative enough to take on Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and turn it from throbbing dancefloor anthem to portentous ballad. The unforeseen cover is sequenced midway through 14 tracks that have Cornell softening the edges of his music without losing the power of the messenger. No less than a half-dozen songs have hit potential, including "Arms Around Your Love," with its soaring chorus, the R&B-flecked "She'll Never Be Your Man," and "No Such Thing," where restrained verses give way to crunchy-riffed choruses. He uses the bluesy "Safe and Sound" to call for peace, asking "Why can't we pull it together?" Ten years after the breakup of his pioneering band, Chris Cornell has done just that, and it's evident that the change has done him good. --Scott Holter
Alternative Rock Music CDs
Music Genres
Top music charts in Alternative Rock Music CDs
Bouncing Souls - Maniacal LaughterRelease date: 1996-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $30.00
Blondie - Parallel LinesRelease date: 1994-07-29; Music CD
Best price: $397.77
Doors - L.A. WomanRelease date: 1993-04-09; Music CD
Best price: $199.99
Amon Duul - Phallus DeiRelease date: 1997-04-08; Music CD
Price in other shops:
Tangerine Dream - MelroseRelease date: 1990-10-02; Music CD
Best price: $74.98
Tangerine Dream - Private Music of Tangerine DreamRelease date: 1992-11-10; Music CD
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
![Ska Explosion [VHS] Image](/images/Ska-Explosion-VHS-6303381014-X.jpg){kind=small}
Ska Explosion [VHS]Cleopatra; Release date: 1995-02-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
![Little Earthquakes [VHS] Image](/images/Little-Earthquakes-VHS-6302488664-X.jpg){kind=small}
Little Earthquakes [VHS]Atlantic / Wea; Release date: 1992-11-10; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops:
Exileby Geoffrey Oryema
Music CD
Best price: $4.95
![Louder Than Live [VHS] Image](/images/Louder-Than-Live-VHS-6301627865-X.jpg){kind=small}
Soundgarden - Louder Than Live [VHS]A&M Video; Release date: 1991-07-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Top Rated Albums
Soundgarden - Down on the UpsideRelease date: 1996-05-21; Music CD
Best price: $5.15
Price in other shops:
Soundgarden - SuperunknownRelease date: 1994-03-08; Music CD
Best price: $5.59
Price in other shops:
![Telephantasm: [2 CD/1 DVD] Image](/images/Telephantasm-2-CD-1-DVD-B003Y3BMFW-X.jpg)
Soundgarden - Telephantasm: [2 CD/ 1 DVD]Release date: 2010-09-28; Music CD
Best price: $9.73
Price in other shops:
Audioslave - Out of ExileBaker & Taylor; Release date: 2005-05-24; Music CD
Best price: $4.87
Price in other shops:
Temple of the Dog - Temple of the DogTEMPLE OF THE DOG; Release date: 1991-04-16; Music CD
Best price: $8.47
Price in other shops:
Chris Cornell - ScreamBaker & Taylor; Release date: 2009-03-10; Music CD
Best price: $3.88
Price in other shops:
Audioslave - RevelationsColumbia; Release date: 2006-09-05; Published: 2006-08-31; Music CD
Best price: $3.80
Price in other shops:
Audioslave - AudioslaveRelease date: 2002-11-19; Music CD
Best price: $6.50
Price in other shops:
Chris Cornell - Euphoria MorningRelease date: 1999-09-21; Music CD
Best price: $8.15
Price in other shops:
Chris Cornell - SongbookRelease date: 2011-11-21; Music CD
Best price: $8.89
Price in other shops: