With a storied and multi-genre career that spans nearly half a century, Some Sweet Dream is surprisingly only Stevie Cornell‘s second solo album. Haling from Santa Rosa, California, Cornell has been influential in nearly every genre imaginable, from the inception of punk to rockabilly to Americana to jazz and blues.
Cornell’s first Americana band, The Movie Stars, which he was a founding member of, became a household name in Northern California’s Americana scene. In the early 80s he also founded the retro/rockabilly band Red Meat. From there, Cornell took a hiatus from recording and touring to raise a family, but it’s clear from his comeback releases that he never stopped writing.
With so many genres to pull from and an innate storytelling ability, Cornell is exploring a gallery of styles in his recent releases. Some Sweet Dream is his folkish, surf rock answer to the retro country of his first self-titled album, released in 2022. With a perfectly strained and gravely folk-style vocal to each track, Cornell explores the fun and funkiness of the late 60s and 70s.
Fans of this era will recognize influence ranging from Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson to the Beach Boys, The Kinks, Tom Petty and even the Doors. He’s proficient in all of these styles and does a great job of meshing all these influences into his own unique style. From the fun, highly boppable rockabilly of “Lying to Myself” to the more serious and psychedelic “Last Time I Count on You,” Cornell keeps fans guessing and engaged with this exciting album.
No matter which genre he’s working in, Stevie Cornell provides a contemplative warmth and a great storytelling acumen with all of his music. Fans can only expect more interesting and soulful work from here.