Even though I can't say I'm a fan of the work he has done in all of his musical endeavors, I have to give Corey Taylor credit for being one of the more ambitious frontmen in metal. With that being said, I'm surprised it's taken him this long to break out of his own mold yet again and release a solo album. What CMFT (yes, that's really the name of the album) offers is even more of a bit of a surprise; Taylor seems to go in every other direction than heavy metal/hard rock. Even after multiple self-consultations to dive into this album with as little expectations as possible, I can't get behind this release. There is a certain finesse to branching out of your own style while still making it sound like your own product, to which Taylor just misses the mark entirely, giving us an "occasionally hip hop, occasionally poppy, sometimes alt-rock, but mostly country-influenced" album that doesn't want to stick to it's guns, or any guns for that matter.

Starting with "HWY 666", the track opens up in an interesting fashion, akin to something you would see on a History channel reality-TV show as the opening credits roll. However, the track becomes more cliché as it progresses, trying to mix modern country and alternative rock influences where the only stand-out moment being the guitar solo that seems to last too long. As "Black Eyes Blue" comes on, the style switches to a more radio-friendly classic rock direction, with vocal layering during the chorus that seems a little overkill, in my opinion, as it seems so out of place for the rest of the track. "Samantha's Gone" has this same issue, which felt a little more disappointing as the intro and verses are actually promising, in a tongue-and-cheek sort of way; The guitar tones on this track are fun to listen to, as well as the drums. "Meine Lux" switches gears in favor of something more akin to Rise Against, which sounds nice on paper, but isn't executed in a favorable way. The constant chanting of "Meine" in the chorus comes off as rather annoying, and more of a filler to get out of doing something more creative. Despite the guitar solos coming in to save the day (yet again), this song should have been one of the more fun tracks on the album, as there are some parts on this track that I actually liked Corey Taylor's vocal pacing. I can't say the same for "Halfway Down", which is clearly constructed to showcase Taylor's vocal range; I can't say I'm surprised by this, given that it's his solo album, but I find it strange how this is the most accessible song on the album so far and I actually enjoyed the latter half of it. It turns out "Silverfish" has the same effect, so I would say it's fair to assume that this album is, ironically [for an album from a metal vocalist], at it's best at it's most somber and slow.

I can't say if I'm experiencing Stockholm Syndrome with this album at this point, but it's taken a turn for the tolerable, even if it has proven to be somewhat repetitive. "Kansas" probably has my favorite chorus on the album, as the entire song seems more laid back and doesn't try to sound as busy as the other songs. The bridge section has a rather pleasing aura around it, almost akin to something more "post-black", which admittedly works a lot better than it should. "Culture Head" seems to be a play on the other thing that Corey Taylor is known for (being outspoken and unapologetic), and uses his airtime on this track to speak out about the fallacies of modern society. The Alice In Chains-esque approach to this track makes it feel more in Taylor's lane, and feels more natural as a result. "Everybody Dies On My Birthday" is one of the tracks I was looking forward to due to the title alone, and rightfully so; this track is full of the angst and bounciness of a 2005-era hard rock track, and this is one of the few times on the album where I have to criticize the lead guitar work. Not that it's bad; it just feels in line with the first tracks on the album, which doesn't suit the more aggressive nature of this track. "The Maria Fire" gives a more jam-band impression, which I found to be strangely soothing, despite the somewhat abrasive chanting vocals. It doesn't do much outside of the regular 4/4 measure, but it's experimental nature keeps the change-ups feeling fun. "Home", on the other hand, is a rather off-putting track, but that's mostly because I had no idea that Taylor is well-versed on the piano. The track feels a bit like a James Blunt B-side, but I can't fault the man for wanting to include this track on an album that already has damn near every other style on it. Speaking of every other style, Tech N9ne (yes, the rapper that is known for his mile-a-second vocal runs) and Kid Bookie are guests on the track "CMFT Must Be Stopped". The album's first foray into hip-hop feels even more forced than some of the other tracks on the album, and unfortunately can't be salvaged by it's guest appearances. The blend of punk, rap and country influences makes the track feel overly loud, and the backing track is rather conflicting to the vocals, regardless of the smooth performances. But if you think this would be the album's black sheep, "European Tour Bus Bathroom Song" (try saying that 5 times fast) is a brief, but exciting punk track that doesn't waste it's own time. Even though this track sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of the album, I do find myself curious regarding how a full-length release in this style would pan out, if for nothing more than a one-off record.

So looking back, I may have been a bit harsh on my expectations for this album, but I do find the latter half of the album to feel more concrete. Maybe it's just weird thinking of Corey Taylor as someone you would see on the CMT channel. With that being said, it's hard for me to pinpoint who the target audience for this album is. I think it will take another album or two for me to be fully on board with a Corey Taylor solo release, but most of my issues with this album aren't the virtuosity of the musicians, but rather the creative differences; this just isn't my cup of tea, even if I did find myself finding a rather guilty pleasure in the middle sections of the album. TLDR: it may be easy to scoff this album off at first glance, but if someone who is as picky for the musical pallet as I am can find something to enjoy here, it's worth giving it a shot.