Morning awakens Cornell

After a decade of fronting Seattle's heaviest grunge band, Soundgarden, Chris Cornell finally realizes his complete musical vision on his debut solo album, Euphoria Morning.

Cornell left Soundgarden in 1997 after the disappointing response to Down on the Upside and conflicting views with guitarist Kim Thayil over the group's musical direction. His desire to move away from power chords and high-pitched wails is evident from the sound of his new record.

A calmer, more subtle affair, Euphoria Morning is the confessional album grunge never produced. It sounds like much a Soundgarden record without the metal. Cornell builds on themes he explored in songs like "Hunger Strike" and "Fell on Black Days." There are no uplifting lyrics and no smiles from the disturbed and disillusioned songwriter.

The album opens with the first single, "Can't Change Me." The best song on the album chronicles the frustrations and self-loathing Cornell explores throughout the record. His songwriting on Euphoria Morning is exemplary. His talent was often buried underneath distorted guitars and his own wails during his tenure with Soundgarden.

On his own album, Cornell buries the guitars and turns up the focus on his singing and lyrics. He writes his best words on the beautiful acoustic ballad "Sweet Euphoria" and the Sinatra-esque "When I'm Down." "Flutter Girl" is an excellent rocker that barely resembles the metal-influenced songs he recorded with Soundgarden.

While his morbid lyrics are consistently strong on the album, the musical quality is often lacking. Cornell fails to find compelling hooks on numerous tracks, despite satisfying verses. The hooks are written into the songs, but he does not execute them well, which can be heard in the album's closer, "Steel Rain" and "Preaching The End Of The World." The latter song is the best example of this shortcoming. Cornell begs for help and understanding from a friend he cannot find. The verses are wonderful, but the chorus is a mess. Cornell searches for a catch that does not exist in the either the music or words of the chorus. It makes a compelling song extremely frustrating to endure.

Euphoria Morning is a step away from being a sensational first effort from Cornell. His writing on the album makes him one of the most interesting lyricists on the radio today. Yet it seems the album lacks the musical consistency that Soundgarden provided for Cornell. Could he have written this record with Kim Thayil's guitar in mind? The answer is obviously no, and that is why he left the group two years ago. However, Euphoria Morning could have been a landmark first effort with a more consistent and interesting musical quality.