SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor‘s solo album of covers and B-sides from the “CMF2” album sessions, titled “CMF2B…Or Not 2B”, has just been released digitally and can be streamed in its entirety below. The effort was previously made available on April 20 via BMG as part of this year’s Record Store Day.
According to RecordStoreDay.comthe track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. HSOAT
02. Life Sex & Death (TANK cover)
03. Not In The Mood To Live
04. Killing Machine (JUDAS PRIEST cover)
05. Snuff (live in London ’16) (SLIPKNOT cover)
06. Shot In The Dark (OZZY OSBOURNE cover)
07. Stay Calm
08. Is It My Body (ALICE COOPER cover)
09. Bother ’23 (Still Bothered) (STONE SOUR cover)
10. Killing Moon (ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN cover)
eleven. Hey Manifesto
12. Ten Years Gone (LED ZEPPELIN cover)
Corey spent much of the last half of 2023 touring in support of his sophomore solo album, “CMF2”which was released in September. Taylor‘s first album for BMG and the first on his own label imprint, Decibel Cooper Recordingswas produced by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, AMON AMARTH),who also helmed STONE SOUR‘s 2017 LP “Hydrograde” as well as 2020’s “CMFT”.
In a 2023 interview with Rock Soundthe SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman spoke about the solo album of covers and acoustic recordings, titled “CMFB…Sides”which he released in 2022 via Roadrunner Records. “CMFB…Sides” comprised nine previously unreleased B-sides, covers of tunes that influenced Taylor, acoustic renditions, and live versions. Asked if he used “CMFB…Sides” as an opportunity to tip his hat to artists that had inspired him growing up, Corey said: “Oh, absolutely. I mean, there are so many people I have not had the chance to nod to, to acknowledge, to thank. Let’s not forget music kept me alive. Music was the only source of happiness for me for the longest time, from when I was a kid all the way up until even into my twenties, for God’s sakes. Music was the only thing that made me feel anything other than horrible about myself. So there were so many voices in my head and so many people kind of holding me up that I am just really scratching the surface. Obviously, I’ve had a chance to show my respect over the years — ’cause of SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR, I’ve been able to kind of talk about my influences, whatnot — but there’s still so many out there that I really want to acknowledge. And the cool thing about doing the B-side stuff is getting to show those little hints and bursts of — doing everything from ‘Lunatic Fringe’ [RED RIDER cover] to ‘Shakin” [Eddie Money cover]”
He continued: “The B-sides that we have for this album [‘CMF2’], people are gonna freak out. We’ve got everything from Alice Cooper to ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN. I mean, it’s that level of fucking radness. And I also have a band who can play anything, and I’m really, really, really spoiled when it comes to that. So I’m really looking forward to putting that out next year. It’s one of those things that I want the audience to kind of get to the point where they expect that, just like, ‘Oh, man, this album is great. There’s also going to be this album that comes out next year with like all the B-side stuff.’ And the cool thing with this is that in addition to the covers — it’s not just acoustic versions, it’s actually leftover originals that didn’t make this album. So it’s changed up even more from that side of stuff, so it’s evolving. And it just feels great. It’s everything that I’ve ever wanted to do. It’s everything I’ve tried to do with SLIPKNOTandSTONE SOURand I’m finally getting to do it now because I’m the boss and I get to fucking make the decisions.”
Throughout “CMF2”, Taylor sings, plays lead and rhythm guitar, piano, and mandolin.
The 13-track opus packs the energy, experimentation, and forthrightness that’s defined a career which has seen him sell more than 12 million albums with his Grammy-winning band SLIPKNOT and several million with chart-toppers STONE SOUR.
Taylor began tracking the follow-up to 2020’s “CMFT” LP in early January 2023 at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with Ruston. Joining Corey in the studio was the rest of his solo band — bassist Eliot Lorangodrummer Dustin Robertalong with guitarists Christian Martucci and Zach Throne.
Twenty-six songs were recorded for “CMF2”including “Beyond” and “Post Traumatic Blues”.
“CMFT” featured the No. 1 Billboard mainstream rock single “Black Eyes Blue” and streaming sensation “CMFT Must Be Stopped” (feat. Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie). The LP hit No. 6 on Billboard‘s US Top Rock Albums chart.
