Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor expands his rock roots with his first solo album
Corey Taylor, “CMFT” (Roadrunner Records)
Corey Taylor had songs bursting out of him and nowhere to perform them.
The singer with the roaring-yet-melodic voice churned out heavy metal and hard rock hits for more than 20 years with Slipknot and Stone Sour. The other tunes Taylor had spinning in his head were more eclectic, spanning multiple genres.
Armed with the confidence of singing for two highly-successful bands, Taylor decided it was time to share the style-twisting music with his first solo album.
“CMFT” is hard rock at its core, sprinkled with elements of classic, glam and blues rock, heavy metal, rap, rockabilly and a tinge of grunge.
Joined by musicians who shared his musical vision, Taylor’s first solo project is filled with catchy hooks, memorable riffs and powerful choruses, the genre seemingly changing with each song.
The opening track, “HWY 666,” sets the this-is-not-Slipknot tone with a fusion of outlaw country, hard rock and a touch of punk which Taylor calls a cross between Johnny Cash and Pantera.
The first single, the catchy “Black Eyes Blue,” is an ode to The Clash and the first of two songs about his wife, Alicia Dove. Taylor spent more than two years learning the piano for “Home,” a heartfelt song showing off his vocal range.
Taylor nods toward the Rick Rubin-produced rap-rock of the 1980s by collaborating with Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie on the big-chorused “CMFT Must Be Stopped.” “Samantha’s Gone,” a sarcastic take on being the “old sober guy,” has a 1980s glam rock vibe, while “Meine Lux” is sort of a cross pollination between The Misfits and Van Halen.
The homages keep coming with “Halfway Down,” a rocker with a Bon Scott-era AC/DC lyrical vibe. “The Maria Fire” has a jazzy rock vibe to it and “European Tour Bus Bathroom Song,” about a sign every rock musician who’s ever toured Europe knows, brings the album to a raucous, punk rock close.