Chris Cornell Pulls His Head Out of His Ass (For Now)

Well, the agony is over. Chris Cornell has left Audioslave "permanently." Thank God. I have to admit, Audioslave made me wonder what I ever liked about the guy. He had gone from the frontman/songwriter for one of the greatest bands of the early 90’s to just a ridiculous clown.

The indignity began with Euphoria Morning. Horrible album by a great songwriter. Talk about over singing. Sheesh. Subtle it was not. Then came the paint-by-numbers butt rock of Audioslave. Who would have ever imagined that combining two such powerful entities could result in such mediocrity. Then, finally, the abortion that was the Bond song. Load of crap.

Then I heard his Unplugged in Sweden performance and I felt a glimmer of hope. "All is not lost," I said to myself, and anyone else who would listen. An understated, simple, acoustic version of "Billie Jean"? Who would’ve thunk it. It was great, as was much of the performance. I avoid the Audioslave songs, of course, but Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Marley, Costello, Jackson? Damn, if I wasn’t once again excited about Chris Cornell.

Sadly, his next solo album, due out in May, will feature the Bond song, so maybe disappointment is just around the corner. But I can hope, right?