Though famous for fronting hard–rock institutions Soundgarden and Audioslave, Chris Cornell has always had a romantic, introspective side (see Temple of the Dog and the Singles soundtrack). Newly solo and happily married, Cornell further distances himself from arena bravado on Carry On, preferring singer–songwriter sensitivity and woodsy love ballads. No matter his guise, the constant remains his always–excellent larynx, which has lost some yelp but gained a rugged vulnerability. His relationship songs (“Safe and Sound”) benefit from the added delicacy, but they’re outnumbered by plodding midtempo tunes and pseudo–shamanistic earsores (“We will rip the night/Out of the arms of the sun”). As demonstrated by his tortured reading of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” when Cornell strains for significance, he squeezes the life out of his music.

Download: “Safe and Sound”