R.I.P. Chris Cornell

Years ago, I met up with a woman to go shopping together on this one blisteringly humid evening. Before we left the mall, I purchased an album that would burn in my memory forever. It was Soundgarden's Superunknown, and I will never forget listening to those songs on that drive home. It's one of those time stamps that I will forever keep with me. Going from songs like My Wave to Head Down and Mailman to Fresh Tendrils, Superunknown is an unforgettable listening experience. The sheer power of Chris Cornell's vocals takes you to another world. The chills that I received listening to the delivery of every vocal are what music is all about. I became obsessed with that record. Even though I had already loved Chris' other material with Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple Of The Dog, and his solo albums, Superunknown provided the soundscapes of a band firing on every cylinder.

Even though I was a latecomer to Chris' work, he still made a significant impact on me as an avid listener of music. The whole "grunge" movement of the late 80's and 90's never really appealed to me outside of a couple of artists. But Chris never seemed to just live in that moment. He always progressed with his music, experimented with various sounds, and put an intimate stamp on everything he released and performed.

After hearing about his sudden death today, I am deeply saddened that he is no longer with us. However, I'm glad that we have a collection of records and live shows to always give us a glimpse into what made Chris Cornell such a powerful presence in music. I'm going to post a video of one of Soundgarden's newer songs, Taree, to show how much feeling Chris put into his live performances.

He will be missed.