I was speaking on Twitter not too long ago and also am in the process of preparing for a presentation to the entire Wabash Valley on social networking and the importance of online marketing, when I read today that Trent Reznor had something to say about Chris Cornell and his new album.
For those of you that are unaware of a few things I simply mentioned above, let me explain. First off, Trent Reznor is the front man and the brains behind the mega band NIN, or Nine Inch Nails. He is the lead singer, song writer, producer, and just simply boy genius of that super star always in the mood to surprise and sometimes personal act. Chris Cornell, on the other hand, is the old front man of the Sound Garden turned solo artist that has spent the last few years trying to find out what’s next for him in the music industry.
Trent is a personable kind of guy. He updates his own website every morning. He updates his MySpace account with tour information and blog posts. And he runs his very own Twitter account. The more and more I see the exposure of Twitter the more and more I enjoy the power it holds. And Trent has made a prime example.
Trent today announced, as you see above, that he was not a big fan of the new Chris Cornell album. He stated that it was so bad that it even made him uncomfortable. This will I am sure make some stirs around the Cornell house but I must disagree with Trent on this one. I am a fan of his work on stage but his taste in music might just be lacking a little bit. (Can musicians even be fans of other musicians? Is there some sort of rule against that or something?)
When Chris set out to do his third album on his own he aided in the hands of Timberland on the sound board. This was kept quiet for quite some time and I only learned about this when his first single from the album was released. Scream his the airwaves and YouTube early on, about three months before the release of the album, and made me think. The song was decent, nothing to write home about, but was not doing a couple of things. It was not giving his voice justice (he has an incredible voice) and it was a little bit too fast for the sound of the instruments behind him. But, at the same time, it was a twist on what I was used to hearing from his work.
Then the album drops a week early, like most do, and I listened to the entire thing from start to finish one morning. When it was done I hit replay and listened again. And again, and again. I listened to the album six times that morning leading to the afternoon. The album was not good. The album was great. It was insane good. I had not heard an album this good out of Timberland since his Justin Timberlake take on what it takes to bring sexy back.
The album is filled with dance beats and could be heard in a club instead of at a live show, but the album is strong on so many levels. His voice shines through the obvious techno beats. Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, and Timberland all make an appearance on the album. It has a couple of good tracks that you can sing to at the top of your lungs and a few that have such incredible lyrics that make you want to just get out your pen and pad and write your own singles.
Chris, I applaud your latest take on music. Timberland, I applaud your incredible beats that continue to impress. And I applaud you, Trent, for taking the time out of your day to spark an article for me. Thank you for using Twitter, too.
“Chris Cornell, on the other hand, is the old front man of the Stone Temple Pilots turned solo artist that has spent the last few years trying to find out what’s next for him in the music industry. “
Correction to this. Chris was front man for Soundgarden and Audioslave. He’s NEVER been the front man for Stone Temple Pilot. That was Scott Weiland.