Chris Cornell – Euphoria Mourning

On his solo debut, Chris Cornell teamed with two-thirds of Eleven (Nastasha Shneider and Alain Johannes, who both also co-produced the album) for a record that allowed him to hang up the rock-god mantle in favor of more sensitive and experimental pursuits. Self-admittedly striving for the diversity of the Beatles, Cornell has succeeded in making music that breathes the same kind of emotion with a healthy '90s updating. Songs such as "Follow My Way" and "Can't Change Me" find the former Soundgarden frontman tossing Indian flourishes into the mix while "When I'm Down" is delivered with the kind of elan that says even grunge gods have soul.

Elsewhere, Cornell dips a toe into the sounds of his youth by including the murky "Mission" and more ethereal "Pillow of Your Dreams," a pair of tracks guaranteed to hearten fans of his former group. The true highlights of Euphoria Morning come when Cornell pushes himself, whether on the sonically rich "Disappearing One" or "Wave Goodbye," a sinewy funk number that doubles as a tribute to the late Jeff Buckley.