Ex-Soundgarden frontman wrote his best ever material in ode to his old room mate and one time Mother Love Bone genius Andrew Wood. Temple Of The Dog is pretty much Cornell's tribute to a man, who for me, was one of rock's greatest frontmen. Released as grunge had taken a grip of the world and bands such as Pearl Jam were ruling the roost, TOTD, albeit a one-off project, remains one of the greatest pieces of music ever to have graced rock's depths. To call it grunge would be unfair, 'Say Hello 2 Heaven' and 'Call Me A Dog' are fitting masterpieces that Wood himself would have been proud of writing, and on the whole this album drifts effortlessly between mellow and hard rock, never once having a dirty edge but still supplying the occasional big Seattle edge on tracks such as 'Pushin Forward Back', but throughout this poignant record you'll sense the ease with which Cornell worked out this beautifully arranged trip, painting pictures of Andrew Wood's feather boa strut and blonde charm, the glitter, the glam, and streetwise stagger, all boosted by Cornell's wonderful voice which rises from banshee wail to soothing lullaby, 'All Night Thing' the perfect example of such grace, whilst 'Reach Down' is simply epic.
If you call yourself a rock fan, 'Temple Of The Dog' is essential for your collection even if you know nothing of the talent of Mr Andrew Wood. On its own merits this is a fabulous record, and better than any grunge album in the sense it was simply made from the heart instead of being part of a scene, and I'm sure Wood would have nodded approvingly, because Cornell can be very proud at what he achieved here, that being something so emotionally charged and rapturous, that only Mother Love Bone could have done better.
9.5/10
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