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    October 20, 2007
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Carry On [CD]
Carry On [CD]
 
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5 out of 5
5
A New Source of Inspiration
on October 20, 2007
Posted by: loudlove90
from Dallas, TX
Anyone expecting Chris Cornell to rehash and recycle well-pioneered paths from previous albums is in for a pleasant surprise with "Carry On". For Cornell, musical exploration and adventurous spirit trumps churning out variations on a commercially proven theme, a danger that his last band Audioslave flirted with at times on "Out of Exile" (2005) and "Revelations" (2006). It's no wonder then that Cornell was ready to strike out again on his own.
Conscious reinvention or natural evolution, the results are magnificent and hardly unexpected given the recent tectonic shifts in Cornell's personal life. Having openly abandoned substance abuse, Cornell went through an apparently acrimonious divorce, married anew, had two new children, took up residence in France and restored and opened a hip Paris restaurant and club, "Black Calavados".
It's not that there aren't nostalgic Cornell trademarks throughout the material -- to the contrary, actually: familiar chord progressions, riffs, vocal patterns and lyrical themes are judiciously (and naturally) integrated into the material. The shifting riff-driven hook of "No Such Thing" recalls both recent Audioslave work and Soundgarden hits of yore. Hardcore Soundgarden fans will recognize the chorus chord progression of the rocking "Poison Eye" as uncannily similar to "Down on the Upside" (1996) B-Side "Karaoke".
Hooks abound in infectious pop gem "Arms Around Your Love", laden with rich harmonies, most notably in the chorus. Ostensibly a whipping from a vicious Monday-morning quarterback of a conscience about failures that drove a lover into another's arms, it's really a broader reflection of regret for things that weren't said when it counted. In this context, "she" could be interpreted as one's sense of regret ("she's gonna make you pay for it"), and the "he" with his "arms around your love" could be death, rather than the lover for whom your lover left you.
"Safe and Sound" is extraordinarily well crafted in its evolution from observing global dysfunction, to diagnosing the causes thereof, to prognosis, if not prescription, for cure. Tapping into the zeitgeist of angst and uncertainty in the face of rampant consumerism, environmental destruction, tribalism, tyranny, militarism and terrorism, the quavering uncertainty of "Safe and Sound" in the verses nevertheless rises and resolves in the pre-chorus, chorus and bridge into a heartening, almost defiant optimism. After all, Cornell believes in a promised land.
"Silence the Voices", epic and sweeping, embodies a cinematic sturm und drang not found in Cornell's work since Soundgarden's "Superunknown" (1994). The military drum, down-tuned chord progression, fluid bass and jangly guitar provide an ominous yet melancholy backdrop for the theme. Cornell is more at home in this type of broader social criticism than in the current-events-driven "Rage"-style anger of Audioslave's "Wide Awake", promising a more lasting relevance to this song than "Wide Awake".
To be sure, the torment, depression, and ambivalence about fame that dogged Cornell through the time of his last solo album "Euphoria Morning" (1999) resulted in some profound music and lyrics. But although we are reminded in the chorus of the richly rewarding "Ghosts" that the old Cornell "doesn't live here anymore", it's just a less tormented, more assured adult into which the old Cornell has grown. "Carry On" amply demonstrates that love, optimism, passion for life and a sense of responsibility are an equally fertile source of inspiration for an artist of Cornell's prodigious talents.
What's great about it: Stellar
What's not so great: None
I would recommend this to a friend!
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