Chris Cornell Talks About The New Soundgarden Album

Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images

In a recent interview with Billboard, Soundgarden (and Audioslave) front man Chris Cornell opened up about the progress and style of the upcoming Soundgarden record.

The yet to be finished album is the band’s first studio effort since 1996′s Down On The Upside, although a live album titled Live on I-5 dropped last week.

PHOTOS: Soundgarden At Lollapalooza 2010view gallery

Cornell told Billboard:

“We’re pretty far into our record now. I don’t really know how to describe it musically, because typically with Soundgarden … every time we write a song we always take it for what it is and try to make it the most it can be. It’s very diverse, I can tell you that.”

Cornell would not speculate on when the final product would get to fans, saying:

“We went into this with the idea that we wouldn’t worry about scheduling or timing. We would worry about making a great record; that’s kind of where we’re at. It’s been a pretty fast pace, considering everything. We’ve really gotten very far very quickly, and it’s really exciting. But we’re not putting any pressure on ourselves or around the music and just want it to organically be finished without being concerned that, ‘Oh, we have to master this on this specific date.’ We’re not in a situation where we have to rush, and this is one time we’re lucky enough that we can afford to…let the album decide when it’s done.”

Kicking off in Aspen tonight, Cornell is taking a break from the recording to tour the US. His “Songbook Tour” features stripped down acoustic version of songs from Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Cornell’s solo records (1999′s Euphoria Morning, 2007′s Carry On, 2009′s Scream) plus a sprinkling of cover songs. Catch him in the following cities …

Mar. 25: Aspen, Col. (Belly Up)
Apr. 1: Austin, Texas (Paramount Theatre)
Apr. 2: Houston, Texas (House of Blues)
Apr. 3: Dallas, Texas (House of Blues)
Apr. 5: Atlanta, Ga. (Center Stage)
Apr. 6: Asheville, N.C. (The Orange Peel)
Apr. 8: Bridgeport, Conn. (The Klein Memorial Auditorium)
Apr. 9: Boston, Mass. (Berklee Performance Hall)
Apr. 10: Glenside, Pa. (Keswick Theatre)
Apr. 12: New York, N.Y. (Town Hall Theatre)
Apr. 13: New York, N.Y. (Town Hall Theatre)
Apr. 15: Atlantic City, N.J. (Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa – Music Box)
Apr. 16: Montclair, N.J. (Wellmont Theatre)
Apr. 17: Washington, D.C. (Sixth & I Historic Synagogue)
Apr. 19: Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Bardavon)
Apr. 20: Toronto, Ontario (Queen Elizabeth Theatre)
Apr. 22: Chicago, Ill. (Vic Theatre)
Apr. 23: Milwaukee, Wis. (Pabst Theater)
Apr. 24: St. Paul, Minn. (Fitzgerald Theatre)
Apr. 26: Edmonton, Alberta (Winspear Centre)
Apr. 27: Medicine Hat, Alberta (Esplanade Arts & Heritage Center)
Apr. 29: Victoria, B.C. (Royal Theatre)
Apr. 30: Coquitlam, B.C. (Red Robinson Show Theatre)
May 1: Seattle, Wash. (Moore Theatre)
May 3: San Francisco, Calif. (The Fillmore)
May 4: Los Angeles, Calif. (John Anson Ford Amphitheatre)
May 5: Los Angeles, Calif. (John Anson Ford Amphitheatre)
May 6: San Diego, Calif. (Humphreys Concerts by the Bay)