12 Greatest Hard Rock Frontmen Of The '90s
5. Chris Cornell - Soundgarden
If you were into any kind of hard rock music in the early 90's, most of the greatest bands were coming from Seattle. From the brooding torture of Alice in Chains to the punk weirdness of Mudhoney, each band was coming to the forefront and turning the traditional rock format inside out. Things were definitely looking different, but Chris Cornell was always there as rock's seasoned pro.
Instead of worrying about indie credibility or pompousness, Cornell rose to the occasion as the poster child for 90's rock in Soundgarden, with a voice that called back to the classic rock heroes of the past. As opposed to just singing from the gut and see what happened, Cornell dared to aim even higher, taking his voice up into the stratosphere to areas the rock world hadn't seen since the 70's.
What made these feats even more impressive was the band's ever-evolving musical structures, which sometimes showcased Cornell belting it out over odd time signatures or having to reach to the highest registers of the human voice. Even when out of his main band's shadow, Cornell's solo work and work with Audioslave is something any normal singer would need years to reach.
Other frontmen can get by on antics alone, but Chris Cornell was one of the few frontmen who could get your attention through the sheer power in his throat.