The surprise final studio album from Chris Cornell, No One Sings Like You Anymore, dropped on Friday (Dec. 11) featuring covers of songs by John Lennon, Prince, Janis Joplin, Electric Light Orchestra and Guns N’ Roses. According to a release, Cornell hand-picked and sequenced the collection as a celebration of the artists and songs that inspired him.
The collection was recorded in 2016 and it represents the late Soundgarden singer’s last fully completed studio album, with runs through Lennon’s “Watching the Wheels,” Ghostland Observatory’s “Sad Sad City,” Harry Nilsson’s “Jump Into The Fire,” Carl Hall’s “You Don’t Know Nothing About Love,” ELO’s “Showdown,” Terry Reid’s “To Be Treated Rite”, Lorraine Ellison’s “Stay With Me Baby,” and his iconic cover of the Prince-written “Nothing Compares 2 You.”
“This album is so special because it is a complete work of art that Chris created from start to finish,” said wife Vicky Cornell in a statement. “His choice of covers provides a personal look into his favorite artists and the songs that touched him. He couldn’t wait to release it. This moment is bittersweet because he should be here doing it himself, but it is with both heartache and joy that we share this special album. All of us could use his voice to help heal and lift us this year, especially during the holiday season. I am so proud of him and this stunning record, which to me illustrates why he will always be beloved, honored, and one the greatest voices of our time.”
The physical version of the album will be available on March 19. The collection, performed entirely by Cornell and Brendan O’Brien, who also produced and mixed the album, also features Cornell’s take on a song popularized by Janis Joplin, “Get It While You Can” as well as his cover of Guns N’ Roses’ “Patience,” which earned the singer his first solo Billboard No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart earlier this year.
“When my dad was making this album it was so fun – I remember waking up in the morning, having breakfast with him and going with him into the studio,” said daughter Toni Cornell in a statement. “We would take our piano lessons there and Christopher would play video games with Brendan and my dad. We got to experience so much with him and have so many amazing memories. I’m really happy to be sharing this album. We love you daddy.” The album is available now on all streaming services.
“We had so much fun in the studio during this time and on days off we’d go to Tree People and hike around there,” said son Christopher Cornell. “We would also play hide and go seek inside the Beverly Hills Hotel and when security would show up they would think it was so funny that my dad was running through fire escapes with us. For me this album represents who my dad was. I’m really proud of him and his work. I hope you all love this record as much as I do.”
Cornell — who died in May 2017 at age 52 of suicide — worked out many of his favorite covers on his solo “Songbook” tours, hitting tracks by everyone from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin and on this collection he chose most of the songs, according to O’Brien. “And we went out to various friends, people in the business, people he respected, to see what they thought… we compiled a bit of a list,” O’Brien added in a statement.
No One Sings Like You Anymore track list:
1. “Get It While You Can” (Janis Joplin)
2. “Jump Into The Fire” (Harry Nilsson)
3. “Sad Sad City” (Ghostland Observatory)
4. “Patience” (Guns N’ Roses)
5. “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Prince)
6. “Watching The Wheels” (John Lennon)
7. “You Don’t Know Nothing About Love” (Carl Hall)
8. “Showdown” (ELO)
9. “To Be Treated Rite” (Terry Reid)
10. “Stay With Me Baby” (Lorraine Ellison)
Listen to No One Sings Like You Anymore below.
