No one sings like Chris Cornell anymore. Here are 9 powerhouse performances
Chris Cornell should be 60 this July 20.
But one of the true great rock 'n' roll singers died May 18, 2017. Now both dates pass with a medley of lament and expressed love for the many enduring songs Cornell signed with his name and timbre.
The voice behind Soundgarden, Audioslave and a refreshingly diverse solo catalog, Cornell nodded ironically to his gifts in the 1994 smash "Black Hole Sun," from Soundgarden's "Superunknown." Sung almost like a sneer, the line "no one sings like you anymore" would later be adopted for a posthumous collection of Cornell covers.
But it's true. No one sings like Chris Cornell anymore. No one ever could. To honor his birthday and memory, here are nine indelible Cornell vocals (we easily could have picked 90).
"Beyond the Wheel" (1988)
From: Soundgarden's "Ultramega OK"
What you hear: Cornell opens the song with a rumbling, modal baritone melody before hitting remarkably high, sustained notes like some wondrous ancient mystic. This song still feels, this many years later, like a declaration: not only does Soundgarden rock, but their frontman can craft and bend mysteries with his voice.
"Hands All Over" (1989)
From: Soundgarden's "Louder Than Love"
What you hear: Yet again pursuing — and totally selling — an unorthodox melody, Cornell seems to pack more than one emotion and vocal character into each note.
"Say Hello 2 Heaven" (1990)
From: Temple of the Dog's self-titled album
What you hear: It was so, so hard not to choose the iconic Temple of the Dog cut "Hunger Strike" which perfectly juxtaposes Cornell's impassioned wail and Eddie Vedder's subversive — and, for the period, strange — steadiness. But this one has the range of an actor's Oscar-winning role: cooing falsetto, barely restrained blues singing, rock-god howling.
"Slaves and Bulldozers" (1991)
From: Soundgarden's "Badmotorfinger"
What you hear: An epic rock tone poem of almost seven minutes, the track would be worth hearing if just for Cornell bending the last word in the phrase "Every word I said is what I mean" until "mean" both becomes more trustworthy and unreliable than before.
"Fell on Black Days" (1994)
From: Soundgarden's landmark "Superunknown"
What you hear: "Black Hole Sun" feels like the single time wants to keep, but don't overlook/listen Cornell's dark, confident vocal here, one of his very finest.
"Like a Stone" (2002)
From: Audioslave's self-titled debut
What you hear: This might be my very favorite Cornell vocal, a masterful exercise in restraint, each degree of change communicating whole worlds. Cornell's softness through a more muted bridge is powerful and, just after, his rendering of the line "Room by room, patiently" — words he's sung over and again — carry a beautiful ache.
"Billie Jean" (2007)
From: Cornell's second solo record, "Carry On"
What you hear: Cornell isn't just a great songwriter but, like some Seattle Sinatra, a master interpreter of song. Here he slows and strips the Michael Jackson pop classic till it's some ancient blues ballad.
"Wrong Side" (2015)
From: The underrated Cornell solo record "Higher Truth"
What you hear: A melody so pure and primal it sounds like Cornell coaxed it up from the earth.
"Nothing Compares 2 U" (2020)
From: This 2016 recording was released after Cornell's death on "No One Sings Like You Anymore"
What you hear: As with "Billie Jean" before and other covers on this particular collection (Cornell's treatment of Guns 'N Roses' "Patience" is remarkable), he makes the song sound as though it's spilling out right there, right then, while never doing injustice to the original or more popular version.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at [email protected] or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 9 great Chris Cornell vocal performances to remember late rocker
