Chris Cornell
spent a portion of 2016 recording a covers album, assembling a ten-song sequence for a record that would be released at a later date.
Cornell
died in 2017, so the covers album wound up as
No One Sings Like You Anymore
, a record released in 2020 as a tribute to the departed singer. As posthumous albums go,
may not bear any great revelations, yet it's an effective, even moving, testament to his skills as a singer and musician.
does revisit several quite familiar tunes -- classic rock staples from
Harry Nilsson
("Jump into the Fire"),
John Lennon
("Watching the Wheels"),
Electric Light Orchestra
("Showdown"), and
Guns N' Roses
("Patience") anchor the album -- but he also digs up
Terry Reid
's "To Be Treated Right," adds a selection from Austin's electronica act
Ghostland Observatory
, and cuts three songs from the
Jerry Ragovoy
songbook, including "Get It While You Can" and "Stay with Me Baby." Collected, the songs are simultaneously familiar and surprising -- a blend that always was among the chief attractions in
's work -- and while there are echoes of the original recordings here, he shapes each tune to fit his voice and contemplative bent. The inherent power in
's voice can still be heard, but what lasts is the passion and intelligence, emotions that make this a bracing if bittersweet experience. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine