Chris Cornell’s back, unplugged and in good form. A long way from the angst of 1999’s Euphoria Morning, he’s feeling comfortable in his own skin as a solo artist.
He’s in an altogether different headspace to his previous solo album, adopting more of a pop rock format. Higher Truth featuresElton John style piano numbers (the title track), nods to British folk (the melodic mandolins in Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart) and some classic country licks (Worried Moon).
Right off the bat, Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart and Worried Moon are immediately appealing. Cornell’s no longer the abstract lyricist with the operatic outbursts that it hurt your throat just to think about. In Josephine, he reminisces about proposing to his wife over the phone, while the Cat Stevens-esque lullaby Only These Words is a song you can imagine him singing to his daughter.
He no longer feeds the dark beast within by fiddling with obscure tunings, transcendental riffs and existentialism, but there’s a lot more optimism in his outlook right now. He’s tempered that beast and this album depicts where Chris Cornell’s at in life at the moment.
Diehard Chris Cornell fans won’t be disappointed, but regardless of your tastes, your tolerance to poppy tunes and surprisingly mundane lyrics will be put to the test.
BY NASH PETROPOULOS
