Scream (Chris Cornell album)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Billboard	(mixed)[6]
Entertainment Weekly	(B+)[7]
Hot Press	(favorable)[8]
New York Times	(mixed)[9]
NME	[10]
Los Angeles Times	[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
Robert Christgau	[13]
Spin	[14]

In the U.S, the album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 and thus became Cornell's first top 10 solo album. The next week it dropped 55 places to number 65, which was the largest second-week drop for a top 10-debuting album in two and a half years.[15] It spent 10 weeks on the Billboard 200.[16]

Initial critical response towards the release was mixed to negative. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 42, based on 19 reviews.[17] Scream received positive reviews from Entertainment Weekly and Hot Press who felt that the collaboration between producer Timbaland and Chris Cornell worked.[17] The mixed reviews were more prevalent, with Spin stating the album was "strangely appealing in its elaborately empty efficiency", while Billboard noted that "sometimes it's good bizarre. Other times it's bad bizarre."[17] Rolling Stone wrote that Scream "veers between drab–sleek and rock–dude soulful; Cornell's yowl never sounds at home".[17] Among the negative reviews, Allmusic wrote that "Scream is one of those rare big-budget disasters, an exercise in misguided ambition that makes no sense outside of pure theory."[18]

Nine Inch Nails creator Trent Reznor attacked the album, suggesting on Twitter that Cornell had "embarrass(ed)" himself.[19] Reznor regretted his comments, writing an apology email to Cornell when both Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden announced a co-headlining tour.[20]

Songwriter credits adapted from the liner notes of the album. Songwriters for the bonus tracks can be found in the ASCAP database.[21]

There are currently two Scream tracks that have had "rock versions" of them released. The first being an alternate version of "Long Gone", produced by Howard Benson,[23] which was accompanied by an official music video directed by DJ Skee's Skee.tv.[24]

The second track to come to light was a "rock version" of "Never Far Away". This version was not a remix, but a completely new recording, produced by Jordon Zadorozny. It has yet to be released for purchase, but has been, with permission from Cornell himself, made available for streaming by Alan Cross.[25] In October 2009, it was reported that Cornell was working with Jordon Zadorozny and Michael Friedman to rework the entire Scream album but then Chris rejoined Soundgarden.[26] No further development on the project had been made between Cornell rejoining Soundgarden and his death on May 18, 2017.