Cochlear Implant

Odd Couple

Chris Cornell

Scream

(Interscope)

**1/2

When the rumour surfaced that mega-producer Timbaland would be the force behind Chris Cornell’s next album, people couldn’t quite believe it — or perhaps they didn’t want to believe it. On the surface, the Scream team appears to be the most ill-conceived musical marriage since David Bowie and Bing Crosby sang about a tiny drummer boy. And quickly (very quickly) into the opener, “Part of Me,” the peculiarity of this collaboration becomes glaring. An introduction that seems more like a parody welcomes the former grunge icon. Go a bit further and you hear Cornell clumsily remind the listener that “that bitch ain’t a part of me” — and it’s at this point that you realize Cornell has made a complete 180 and a very big musical mistake. As for Timbaland, he holds up his end of the bargain and had this been a Justin Timberlake project, it would have worked well. (In fact, JT appears on “Take Me Alive,” perhaps the album’s most cringe-worthy cut.) Ultimately, the uncomfortable union of Cornell’s voice and Timbaland’s signature sound makes this one of the most awkward albums you’ll hear for a while.

CURTIS WRIGHT