Say what you like about Chris Cornell, it’s difficult to overlook the man’s dexterity. Having done grunge – quite spectacularly with Soundgarden, the later, lacklustre attempts by supergroup Audioslave to magic the same levels of stardom led to some desperate music. Followed by the disastrous solo white-man hip-hop-adventure 'Scream', you’d be forgiven for thinking the stadium lights had permanently switched off on this frontman.
His latest album ‘Higher Truth’ redeems things – slightly. Yes, it has a naff title, and the repackaging of Chris as a longhaired troubadour is also naff: he’ll struggle to convince any devoted Buckley fans. But there is a truthful, disarmingly vulnerable quality to this album. Squarely aimed at Soundgarden listeners, it’s no game-changer, but maybe that’s the point. Instead of playing catch up with trends, this is unmistakably Chris Cornell: vocally strong, slightly cheesy Americana. This gig is being touted as his first in Croatia – it’s already sold out, so there’s a decent chance it won’t be his last.