Wednesday 25 February 2009

Harsh Shark - Chris Cornell's solo career

has veered from one car crash to another. If you were a charitable listener, you could say that there might be enough material for an ok-ish album from his first two efforts, and that 'You know my name' was actually pretty good. But if you listen to the new song for thirty seconds, or watch the video, all the charity in your heart will dry up. You'll kick puppies, thanks to Chris Cornell's Pink Floyd inspired, Timbaland produced ZettaOmegaFail. Watch the horror that is the video here. Cue autotuned vocodered vocals, video cliches and line dancing. Nothing screams "But Steve, we have to hit that Midwest demographic" like a bit of line dancing, does it?

And while the fans of old might well hate it, there's a fair chance this single (and the album that follows it) will do sterling business for him in the charts. He's still a good looking guy, the production values are high, if you switched your mind off you could find yourself tapping your toes to the song. He's opening himself up to a massive new market, and you've got to admire his courage for doing that. Even if it does alienate a huge chunk of his fanbase in the process.

He's got a gig at Shepherds Bush soon, after selling out The Scala last week. Where he played 'Scream' in it's entirety. It's £27-50 a ticket, plus booking. Unsurprisingly, there are still good seats available.

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