Chris Cornell – Carry On

Cornell has spent a long career searching for material to do justice to his formidable vocals, with intermittent joy. Soundgarden and Audioslave both complemented his throaty Gillan-esque roar only occasionally.

The poppy metal of “Carry On” comprises another entry in Cornell’s catalogue of partial successes. There is one tremendous high point – his superb Bond theme, “You Know My Name”, co-written with David Arnold.

There is one jaw-dropping nadir – a baffling reading of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. In between, there’s a lot of in-between.

ANDREW MUELLER