Chris Cornell's "rasp" versus Axl's, and why his voice hasn't aged

[Estranged Reality]

Not an attempt to start a troll thread here so please don't pile on with the 'lol fat axl' comments regarding his voice, but this is a serious question.

One of my favourite vocalists other than Axl is Chris Cornell. This guy screamed his head off in his youth with Soundgarden, then developed kind of a rasp of sorts as he turned his voice into more of a singing tool rather than just using it to scream. Much like Axl, his 'normal' singing voice doesn't have much rasp, but when he hits the high-pitched raspy shrieks I really can't imagine it being any better for his vocal cords than Axl's screaming was back in his prime.

Thing is, Cornell may have lost a teensy bit of his power in the upper register, but his voice has aged pretty fucking well and he's still able to sing stuff like this (listen to the outro):

...and it sounds almost exactly the same as the studio track from 1990.

Then he goes back to Soundgarden with their reunion record last year and I was taken aback by how his voice really didn't suffer at all and he's still able to do the rasp and the shriek and everything pretty well, both live and in studio.

So, what did he do right that Axl did wrong?

[SoulMonster]

I disagree. I think Corell's voice has changed a lot. Like Axl he has lost that immense power in the highest register which he demonstrated so frequently on Badmotorfinger and earlier records. That being said, he hasn't lost his raspy voice and he has gained a lot more control in the lower register.

EDIT: And I don't think anyone necessarily did anything wrong or right. How a voice ages is to SOME extent beyond one's control.

EDIT2: If you compare the studio version of Say Hello 2 Heaven with the live recording from 2011 he goes way higher during the ending choruses.

Edited April 18, 2014 by SoulMonster

[Smokin' Cigarettes]

Cornells voice has most definitely changed. He's in the same boat as axl and all the guys that had gruff in their voices when they were young. When you get old you can't do that shit anymore plain n simple.

The guys that had clean vocals are able to still do it up in age. Vince Neil is one that still sounds the same for the most part when he isn't letting the crowd do all the singing for him.

[RandallFlagg]

Axl should sing The Day I Tried To Live and Cornell YCBM and see how well they do.

[WhazUp]

I have seen Cornell four times in the past 3 years, twice acoustic and twice with Soundgarden. His voice is a little raspier and he definitely lost a little range but man he still sounds out of this world.

He still has a range and a sense of consistency that I find remarkable. He still has it, I was amazed when I heard him sing Beyond the Wheel live that he was able to still pull it off as amazing as he can

Edited April 18, 2014 by WhazUp

[magisme]

Cornell was always more of a proper singer, so his voice was probably easier on the chords. By 89, at the latest, Axl was more of a screamer. His shit was abrasive.

[chevelle]

Cornell's voice is still pretty damaged, unfortunately. Watching the 20th anniversary show last month when they played all of Superunknown was painful at times. Dude still has a fantastic lower range though.

[TeeJay410]

I think it's pretty obvious Chris Cornell's voice is in better shape at this point though.

I think it's pretty obvious Chris Cornell's voice is in better shape at this point though.

[Estranged Reality]

Cornell's voice is still pretty damaged, unfortunately. Watching the 20th anniversary show last month when they played all of Superunknown was painful at times. Dude still has a fantastic lower range though.

is that show online?

[LandOla]

Cornell sounded like shit some five years ago or so, but somehow he regained his old voice back. He still got it.

[Ali]

I disagree. I think Corell's voice has changed a lot. Like Axl he has lost that immense power in the highest register which he demonstrated so frequently on Badmotorfinger and earlier records. That being said, he hasn't lost his raspy voice and he has gained a lot more control in the lower register.

EDIT: And I don't think anyone necessarily did anything wrong or right. How a voice ages is to SOME extent beyond one's control.

EDIT2: If you compare the studio version of Say Hello 2 Heaven with the live recording from 2011 he goes way higher during the ending choruses.

I think Cornell's voice has changed, too, tonally and in terms of absolute range. But, it was getting really rough and abrasive during the Audioslave days. He made a wise decision by quitting smoking.

I think Axl's singing, especially during the UYI era, was much more abrasive and hard on his vocal chords. Consequently, he may have to be more careful, using his head voice more, and be cognizant of singing with a "open throat" so he doesn't add too much more wear and tear on his vocal chords.

That being said, I've enjoyed the two Soundgarden shows I've seen in recent years immensely and will continue to go see them, including this summer. Same thing GN'R.

Ali

[LandOla]

Cornell's voice is still pretty damaged, unfortunately. Watching the 20th anniversary show last month when they played all of Superunknown was painful at times. Dude still has a fantastic lower range though.

is that show online?

Here's Lollapalooza pro shot from a couple of weeks back, it seems that his voice has become thinner again :| still nothing as bad as Axl though.

[chevelle]

Cornell's voice is still pretty damaged, unfortunately. Watching the 20th anniversary show last month when they played all of Superunknown was painful at times. Dude still has a fantastic lower range though.

is that show online?

I can't find the full show, but if you just search 'Soundgarden iTunes Festival' on YouTube, it'll come up with most of the songs.

[Estranged Reality]

I disagree. I think Corell's voice has changed a lot. Like Axl he has lost that immense power in the highest register which he demonstrated so frequently on Badmotorfinger and earlier records. That being said, he hasn't lost his raspy voice and he has gained a lot more control in the lower register.

EDIT: And I don't think anyone necessarily did anything wrong or right. How a voice ages is to SOME extent beyond one's control.

EDIT2: If you compare the studio version of Say Hello 2 Heaven with the live recording from 2011 he goes way higher during the ending choruses.

I think Cornell's voice has changed, too, tonally and in terms of absolute range. But, it was getting really rough and abrasive during the Audioslave days. He made a wise decision by quitting smoking.

I think Axl's singing, especially during the UYI era, was much more abrasive and hard on his vocal chords. Consequently, he may have to be more careful, using his head voice more, and be cognizant of singing with a "open throat" so he doesn't add too much more wear and tear on his vocal chords.

That being said, I've enjoyed the two Soundgarden shows I've seen in recent years immensely and will continue to go see them, including this summer. Same thing GN'R.

Ali

I wasn't by any means trying to trash Axl. It's just odd how his voice wildly fluctuates in comparison to a dude like Cornell who, despite maybe not hitting the upper register quite as powerfully these days, has stayed remarkably consistent (overall) for three decades.

You're probably right about his singing style being more abrasive. I think the Illusion tour definitely was what did most of the damage. You could hear him straining and basically tearing his vocal cords apart at gigs like Indiana '91. Still, he recovered remarkably in 2010, then just completely reverted again by the following year. It's crazy.

[realpoti]

Cornell stopped smoking when his voice turned into shit. It's fairly simple. Axl doesn't give two shits if his lifestyle is fucking the performance.

[SoulMonster]

They had different voices to begin with and have aged differently and also used their voices differently these last 20 years. I think Cornell has used his voice more continuously and taken better care of it, he has also changed the way he sings the most challenging songs to protect the voice (just compare live videos of him singing). Axl had a long break where he probably lost the ability to sing in specific ways and had to relearn, or to emulate, to sing in those ways.

Both are incredible singers, among my favourite.

[Requiem16]

He lost some range but stays pretty cool now... pay attention that Axl and Chris had the same teacher in past///they have simular technices but Axl is lower in his vocal range.

[WhazUp]

I was this show, the man has still got it!

[Naupis]

Just look at them physically and Cornell has aged so much better.

Like every aspect of his life Axl doesn't give 2 shits and doesn't want to put the work/effort in to maintaining what he's got.

Axl looks like a fat slob now while Cornell looks like a well aged version of the guy he was 20 years ago.

[Absent]

Cornell has lost an enormous amount of power all throughout his range, he still sounds good in an acoustic setting but he consistently overpowered everywhere else. He cannot go as low as he could, he cannot go as high as could and sounds more strained trying, he relies extensively on falsetto, and he cannot put very much chest in his voice at all; in short his voice is generally weak. He's lost the wonderful control he used to have in his midrange too, listen to the verses of "Room A Thousand Years Wide," how he effortlessly mixes slight head resonance with his chest voice to sing higher while maintaining power, the studio version of "Say Hello 2 Heaven" also demonstrates his mixing ability, except he's more head-dominant there due to the context.

In contrast, for all the criticism you all give him, Axl's voice is generally strong, it's very strong actually; this forum just likes to demonize any performance where every line is not a full-throated scream. Clean singing is not bad, and it certainly is not the return of "Mickey Mouse."

This topic really should be posted on a Soundgarden fan forum asking what Cornell did wrong that Axl did right.

[realpoti]

Cornell has lost an enormous amount of power all throughout his range, he still sounds good in an acoustic setting but he consistently overpowered everywhere else. He cannot go as low as he could, he cannot go as high as could and sounds more strained trying, he relies extensively on falsetto, and he cannot put very much chest in his voice at all; in short his voice is generally weak. He's lost the wonderful control he used to have in his midrange too, listen to the verses of "Room A Thousand Years Wide," how he effortlessly mixes slight head resonance with his chest voice to sing higher while maintaining power, the studio version of "Say Hello 2 Heaven" also demonstrates his mixing ability, except he's more head-dominant there due to the context.

In contrast, for all the criticism you all give him, Axl's voice is generally strong, it's very strong actually; this forum just likes to demonize any performance where every line is not a full-throated scream. Clean singing is not bad, and it certainly is not the return of "Mickey Mouse."

This topic really should be posted on a Soundgarden fan forum asking what Cornell did wrong that Axl did right.

It doesn't matter if Axl's voice is strong if it sounds like shit.

[alfierose]

Is this partly a smoking thing then? Are there any comparative singers who never smoked?

[GivenToFly]

I'd say Chris is now at the level Axl was in 2006, as in far below his peak late 80s / early 90s level, but still alright overall, with some good moments. Axl in 2010 was far better than Chris has ever been this century.

[JimMorrison4]

Chris Cornell has taken care himself, physically, much better than Axl has. Based on that, I'm assuming he's taken more steps to take care of his voice as well.

With that being said, Axl has sounded pretty good on this tour. His lower voice is as good as it's ever been.

[izzy92]

Axl Rose sings with a falsetto voice, that's all there is to it. He drives it causing distortion, but everything high is falsetto, hence the Mickey Mouse voice when he can't/doesn't drive it.