Chris Cornell Euphoria Morning CD

"Can't Change Me" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

On his solo debut, Chris Cornell teamed with two-thirds of Eleven (Nastasha Shneider and Alain Johannes, who both also co-produced the album) for a record that allowed him to hang up the rock-god mantle in favor of more sensitive and experimental pursuits. Self-admittedly striving for the diversity of the Beatles, Cornell has succeeded in making music that breathes the same kind of emotion with a healthy '90s updating. Songs such as "Follow My Way" and "Can't Change Me" find the former Soundgarden frontman tossing Indian flourishes into the mix while "When I'm Down" is delivered with the kind of elan that says even grunge-gods have soul.

Elsewhere, Cornell dips a toe into the sounds of his youth by including the murky "Mission" and more ethereal "Pillow of Your Dreams," a pair of tracks guaranteed to hearten fans of his former group. The true highlights of EUPHORIA MORNING come when Cornell pushes himself, whether on the sonically rich "Disappearing One" or "Wave Goodbye," a sinewy funk number that doubles as a tribute to the late Jeff Buckley.

Principally recorded at 11AD, Los Angeles, California.

Personnel: Chris Cornell (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Alain Johannes (guitar, mandolin, clarinet, Theremin, bass, tabla, background vocals); Natasha Shneider (piano, organ, keyboards, bass, tympani, tambourine, background vocals); Ric Markmann, Jason Falkner (bass); Greg Upchurch, Josh Freese, Bill Rieflin, Matt Cameron (drums).

Producers: Chris Cornell, Natasha Shneider, Alain Johannes.

Rolling Stone (9/30/99, pp.83-4) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...proves you can get sappy while continuing to radiate the kind of heat that wilts daises at fifty paces....if you're looking to be viscerally and intellectually bowled over, this is music that satisfies the need."
Entertainment Weekly (9/24/99, p.146) - "...[Cornell] delves back into '60s psychedelic melodies and acoustic dities, to moving effect. Fans will hear much of the punch and yowl they yearn for - only with more refined melodies and Cornell's character finally clarified." - Rating: B+f
Q (10/99, p.117) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[big] on songwriterly grace. Building on a slow rock framework, these 12 songs have much to offer....The bid for adulthood occasionally spells acoustic dirge, but otherwise a good effort."
Alternative Press (10/99, p.77) - 3 out of 5 - "...intelligent, introspective music that draws equally from the psychedelic experimentation of the late Beatles and the operatic histronics of Queen, as well as from more contemporary influences as Jeff Buckley and Radiohead..."
Mojo (Publisher) (10/99, p.104) - "...Musically downbeat, lyrically full of distance and loneliness, its intricate and often understated songs have a black undercurrent....Bedsit-metal cuts like 'Sweet Euphoria', 'Steel Rain' and 'Flutter Girl' are among my favorites..."