Have you heard Chris Cornell’s cover of “Stay With Me Baby” from the rock-besotted HBO show “Vinyl”?
Dear god, it’s good; in part because Cornell based it on the monumental and near-perfect version by British belter Terry Reid, but also because Cornell — of Soundgarden and Audioslave fame — has massive pipes.
And he’s got taste. The guy’s been singing full force, soaring up to the rafters, since the early ’90s, but, at 51, his voice doesn’t seem diminished. Grunge always had hints of metal and classic rock in its DNA, with vocalists like Cornell often opting for grit over anything else.
On his 2015 solo record, “Higher Truth,” Cornell explores some more mellow acoustic textures, but even with the sonic palette altered a little, Cornell still injects irregular proggy touches and moments of full-throated soulful howling.
Chris Cornell performs at the Palace Theater, 100 East Main St., Waterbury, on Sunday, June 26, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 to $75. 203-346-2000, palacetheaterct.org.
