When Chris Cornell released Scream eight months ago it generated significant press, though little of it was positive. In a departure from the full-blooded rocking for which he had become famous, Cornell had elected to take a step into Timbaland territory. The resultant R&B / rock fusion turned the music-purchasing public off in their droves as the record failed to sell to fans of either genre. However, in a bid to return Cornell to grace with his fans, friend Michael Friedman has made strenuous efforts to de-Timbaland the album. Working with pal Jordan Zadoronzy, the pair worked hard to remove all traces of R&B affectation from the tracks and delivered a stripped-back rock sound more in keeping with the style beloved of the SoundGarden and Audioslave frontman's long-term fans. In an interview with exploremusic.com, Friedman elaborated that his motivation was to reveal the classic Cornell: “I heard some 'Black Hole Sun' greatness deep within some of the songs,” and when the first track from the project, “Never Far Away” surfaced this weekend it certainly delivered a rock ballad of the type Cornell fans would be more comfortable with. If the Friedman/Cornell mix becomes commercially available, it would certainly be interesting to see which of the two versions sold best – we think we can guess.