RIP Audioslave

It is a sad weekend in the world of rock music. Chris Cornell, lead singer for Soundgarden and Audioslave and an all-around stellar musician, has announced that he is leaving Audioslave, arguably the most talented act in hard rock right now. That announcement, coupled with the fact that Rage Against the Machine (one of the two bands that melded into Audioslave) is reuniting this summer for a one-time concert means that Audioslave is all but defunct. Rolling Stone posed a fascinating question; if Audioslave were to continue on with a new lead singer, who should that lead singer be?

Let me preface the rest of this by saying that I would rather not hear Audioslave without Cornell. With a Chris Cornell solo album due out in May, hearing that AND Audioslave with a new lead singer just wouldn't be right. It's like Queen with Paul Rodgers; yeah it's Queen and Paul Rodgers did OK, but no one can even come close to Freddie Mercury. No one can mimic Chris Cornell's mind-blowing vocal stylings. Try to imagine anyone else singing "Cochise". I dare you. It can't be done.

That said, the most interesting votes I read (and supported) were those for either Chris Daughtry or Bo Bice, both of American Idol cast-off fame. These are both damn near impossible, but I think this brings up very interesting points. As much as I like Daughtry's album, it did show a certain level of Nickelback worship, and I feel like he could do better. Bo Bice, on the other hand, released a half-assed album courtesy of his AI deal and if the highlights of that CD are any indication, he definitely could do better and was held back by the record execs. Unfortunately recent reports indicate that RCA has dropped Bice, suggesting that a second album, an album that could very well vindicate Bice, isn't happening anytime soon. Not saying this is a tragedy, but not cool on RCA's part. If there's going to be an reformed Audioslave (which there shouldn't be), let's see Daughtry and/or Bice at the audition.

One more thing; can you imagine Chris Cornell singing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"? If the answer to that question is either 'yes' or 'what the hell are you talking about?', mark your calendar for May 1st, the release date for Cornell's solo album.

==TJ==