Customer Reviews

Songbook

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chris Cornell absolutely is one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Before Songbook tour, he had been constantly criticized for his unstable vocal performances. I believe that the critics were somewhat right for the Audioslave era in which Chris also admitted that he had problems with alcohol and smoking that could have affected his vocal ability during that time. But man... The Old Chris is back. I watched one of the tours last May in Seattle, and his vocal performance was a way beyond my expectation. After seeing his concert, I also have been watching his Songbook tour videos on Youtube and I have to say that he sounded so good throughout the tour. To me, he sounds even better than how he sounded when he was in Soundgarden in the early 90s. The voice is more mature and powerful than ever before. What surprises me is that his vocal performance was so stable throughout the entire tour despite that he had to perform without much gap between tour dates. Having just one or two days off after performing more than two hours for three or four days in a row, and then performing again, on and on, for a few months is not an easy thing for any musician. Although this may not be much of a problem for many singers whose songs do not require much of vocal range, this is not the case for Chris, as many of his songs are above high C. Also, we all know many vocalists, even those who are considered the greatest of all time, could not maintain their quality of voice when they turned about age of 40. Chris is almost 50 now...! He deserves much respect for keeping his singing ability.

As you may hear from the tracks, he does not have any problem with hitting right pitch. "Call Me A Dog", for example, goes up around high E or F, but he sounds just fine hitting that note. Now if you think about it, what kind of musicians nowadays can hit that note with power, timbre and soul like Chris's while playing a guitar at the same time? Not just this, but also, without losing voice after performing for more than two hours for three or four days in a row? I certainly can't think of anyone. Of course, vocal range and power are not the only factors that define a good singer, but they certainly indicate the singer's vocal ability. I am so glad to see that Chris gained his master vocal ability back, and I strongly hope he does more tour like Songbook in the future.

A tiny little complain I have about this album is that I wish they made it into two CDs because there are so many songs from the tour that could have been included, such as "Say Hello 2 Heaven", "Preaching the End of the World", "Billie Jean", "Getaway Car","Redemption Song", and especially "When I'm Down".

Anyway, just one unofficial acoustic album- Unplugged In Sweden - was not adequate for a great acoustic live performer like Chris; fans certainly want more. This Songbook album is a must have for all those who thirst for 'that vocal performance'.

Just a quick review of the best CD I've purchased in several years:

The Good:
1.) His voice is as absolutely spectacular as it's ever been and makes an obvious choice for an acoustic record, where he can and does show it off. He shimmers throughout.........

The Bad:
2.) Well, as hardcore fans we always have a couple suggestions on song selection, right? Like we've seen on youtube he did several other tunes on this tour I would have loved to see on this collection: "When I'm Down", "Like Suicide", "Seasons" and the online medley masterpiece, which includes "Man of Golden Words", "Comfortably Numb" and "Say Hello to Heaven"..........

The Beautiful:
Man, in my opinion he sits atop the lead vox mountain as the greatest vocalist over the last 20 some odd years, hands down. Throw 10 bucks down on these 18 songs, grab it and rush it around town shouting to your friends and relatives "You gotta hear this!! Take it home, listen to it several dozen times like I have while youtubing the couple nuggets left off..........

The Suggestion:
Chris and crew, follow this bad boy up with a "Live" Acoustic Songbook DVD, please!!!

The Funny Story: I bought this at the nearest location of one of the massive media chains in the country, you know the one I mean. Employee comes up to me to ask what I'm looking for. I said the new "Chris Cornell" to which he replied, "Is he a classical composer or a jazz artist?". No joke!! I said "You know, the former lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave", in which a blank stare appeared from the employee. Apparently they don't offer the Rock 101 training course at this chain. Told him it'd be easy to find if he'd just point me to the "Has Talent" section as it'd be the only CD there!!!!!

Songbook is the new live acoustic album from Chris Cornell showcasing his awesome vocals and songwriting ability as performed along his very successful recent solo tour. Chris Cornell is a true survivor of rock having had success with Soundgarden, Audioslave, and three solo albums prior to this amazing collection of acoustic tunes. There was a little taste of what this album contains with the hidden track at the end of his previous solo album but Songbook is definitely what fans of this iconic voice wanted to hear. Highlights include the amazing Temple Of The Dog classic "Call Me A Dog", the brilliant version of the Audioslave track "I Am The Highway", the dark sound of Soundgarden's classic track "Fell On Black Days", and the memorable melodies of the Audioslave hit "Like A Stone". It is amazing how he can turn relatively simple chord progressions into memorable songs with his powerful voice and interesting lyrics. I saw Chris Cornell perform these songs at The Sydney Opera House recently and I can tell you it was a stunning show and Songbook is a great memento of his tour. What more can be said about Chris Cornell and his decision to please his fans with a gift like this - essential listening!

I have been listening to Chris Cornell for years and I have watch his evolution from brilliant singer/songwriter to one of the finest singer/songwriters of our generation. This collection of live acoustic tracks gives me exactly what I want: Chris, a guitar, and his soulful voice. This is one of the best live albums that I have ever heard my entire life. You can feel it inside of you when Cornell sings. We respond to the pain, the contemplation, and above the truth in the words that he preaches to us with incredible voice. Thank you Chris Cornell for giving this gift to your fans.

I was lucky enough to see Chris Cornell on the tour for this album at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington DC and it was one of the greatist shows I have ever seen. Let me just say that I do not love all of Chris' solo stuff, but there is no denying the AMAZING voice he has rock icon that he is. Seeing him while sitting in pews in a old church only enhanced that effect. He was amazing and this CD represents the performance very well. Dont hesitate if you like Chris at all ... this is an AMAZING album!

This is one of the best if not the best album I have ever listened to. Chris Cornell's voice is strong and haunting. Every song on the album is great. The songs are beautiful and emotional. I highly recommend this album.

Chris Cornell has always been in the habit of moving forward. With blinders firmly affixed, Cornell has moved from band to band, occasionally taking a break for his own solo efforts, never doing more to acknowledge his past accomplishments than the occasional cover song during a concert with his latest band. With a resume that includes lead vocals with the likes of Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, and Audioslave, Cornell certainly has plenty of material to fall back on, but Cornell has always chosen the road less traveled. That is, until now.

In 2010, Chris Cornell reunited with Soundgarden and embarked on an immensely successful tour. Revisiting much of his original material for the first time in over a decade, Cornell then capitalized on his once again heightened fame for a solo tour; offering his fans a retrospective of his entire career. Armed with an acoustic guitar and his uniquely powerful voice, Cornell toured the world with his "Songbook" and is still working his way across the U.S. for the remainder of this year.

"Songbook" captures some of Chris Cornell's finest performances to date of both well-known hits and forgotten gems. The album opens with, "As Hope and Promise Fade" which was originally released as a hidden track on his 2009 record "Scream." The track is filled with as much heartache as the title suggests, even more than his performance two years ago. With each emotional cry perfectly in tune, Cornell's vocals have never sounded more personal. As the album progresses, it becomes clear that each track is special to him in some way and the track listing was hand-picked. These are the tracks he is the most proud to be a part of.

Although the album leans heavily on Cornell's own material with each of his past bands, there are also two cover songs; Led Zeppelin's "Thank You" and John Lennon's "Imagine."

He does take a few creative liberties with the melodies of both tunes, but they remain phenomenal tributes to two of his greatest influences.

Like Nirvana and Alice in Chains, Soundgarden's catalog translates to acoustic instruments beautifully. With Cornell's solo, Temple of the Dog and Audioslave selections each mixed into the 16 track setlist of "Songbook," there is plenty of variety to keep the listener interested despite the lack of any heavy electronic instrumentation. Fans of any of his past projects will not be disappointed.

Track Suggestion: "The Keeper"

I'm 26 and my first exposure to Chris Cornell was really the first Audioslave album. I was aware of the beast that is Soundgarden but the only time I'd actually heard them outside of black hole sun was through the soundtrack of the ever timeless Road Rash on Playstation 1.

They were noted as a band not to be f'd with on my list of well..... bands not to be f'd with. Soundgarden....the name struck a chord in my heart. They were forever embedded into my memory. I started checking out anything Chris Cornell related I could. I was an aspiring vocalist myself and he was something I always strove to be, a true soul on his sleeve musician. I soaked up everything I could get my hands on and it just wasn't enough.

Loved every single Soundgarden album, what raw powerful emotion in his vocals....the only person I could compare it to was the late great Layne Stayley. Loved the amazing song writing ability of the Cornell solo projects. Loved the ever groovy energy of the Audioslave albums but one thing became apparent...Chris had an alcohol problem. It effected live variations of practically every Audioslave performance I've seen. Scream was an excellent album. It wasn't the album any Chris Cornell fan were expecting but after hearing leaked versions of fully rocked out version who could deny it was Chris coming into his own. His vocal ability had started to come back. I shortly thereafter heard an album by Chris Cornell playing his tunes on Live In Sweden, the live completely acoustic bootleg album. This was the Chris I knew and expected.

Finally after all this time Chris Cornell has gotten sober and has recaptured, surpassed even, his vocal ability from the Soundgarden days and my personal favorite Live in Sweden album. It's the power we all knew but also the age and control one learns from years of performing and finally sobriety. I can't help but smile while i hear new life being breathed into these classic songs and many of those classics are indeed included here.

I'm glad to say i was around to witness the birthing of one of the finest singers of our time. Long live Chris Cornell and here's to hoping he continues to improve throughout the years. This is truly his finest effort to date. Thank you....

Well, I really wish that the song selection was a little bit better... I mean, Mind Riot or When I'm Down (I saw these songs played live and he owned the crap out of them), Like Suicide, Sweet Euphoria... I really feel like Chris Cornell should release a SongBook Volume 2 to get more of these songs out there, because he is that fabulous and this tour was excellent.

The album itself... captures his voice in its most simple and authentic form. He does not need a band, editors, anything other than his own talent. The songs on here are wonderful to listen to. I am the type of person who needs to sing along to everything, but right now, this album has me quiet because I just don't want to ruin how good it sounds (lol).

Do yourself a favour and pick up this album. Everything on here sounds great, warm, and in-tune. I have felt and after listening to this (and seeing him live on this tour), strongly feel that he is one of the most undercredited artists out there. Please don't steal or illegally download copies of this album; buy it, and give him the credit and attention that he deserves. It is worth the investment.

Chris Cornell finally comes back to reality, at least for me. After the last horrible solo CD, a couple average CD's with Audioslave and a few other stops, this CD brings him and his beautiful yet powerful Voice back to the forefront. Man and his Guitar. Im a sucker for Acoustic live CD's(albums), but this one is great in terms of the variety of song selection and the aforementioned Voice. He sounds in rare form. I am very disappointed in myself for missing him when he made a tour stop locally after hearing this.

I wont do an extreme breakdown of all tracks, but obviously the Soundgarden songs are well done as they are just great songs. No surprise. Temple of the Dog is represented here as well with 'All Night Thing' and 'Call me a Dog'. Stellar! Sound great after all these years in this fresh setting. His solo material is strong and sounds as if they were originally just written by him with his guitar. These interpretations make them even more personal and i will listen to them more than the originals.

The couple covers are cool as well. 'Thank You' is so sweetly done and so well sung it brings on a sense of contemplation that is as good as the original. Plant/Page should be proud of this bare bones rendition. 'Imagine' closes the Live portion and is good as expected, but i wasnt floored by it, though, i hate to say, it was never one of my favorite songs anyway.

But what (surprisingly) is best about this is how good the Audioslave tracks 'I Am The Highway' and 'Like A Stone' come across. 'Doesnt Remind Me' is done with a nice swagger. Turns out less is more with these tracks as they really shine and are very well sung. These 2 songs are worth the price of this.

There are a couple new tracks as well which round this CD off and make it more interesting and desirable to purchase. 'Cleaning My Gun' is a really good track that may be just a touch too long for its own good. 'The Keeper' is a acoustic studio track that is sweet. Nice chord progressions and smooth. Hopefully a sign of things to come after the disaster that was 'Scream'. He may not want to go Grunge/Metal anymore, but this style fits. No band needed.

Why the 4 instead of 5? Well, to me it sounds a bit 'loud'. It sounds great, dont get me wrong, but to ME it just sounds like it was pushed up a but loud in the mix giving a static sounding 's' sound and some inappropriate feedback, so i had to do some adjusting on the treble end when listening. Not a big deal though. But it was enough for me to drop 1 star. So its not about content, its about sound. It still is a great quality recording, you just may need to mess around with the EQ.

Very cool CD and a reminder of what a talent the man is. Highly recommended, Pick it up.