Chris Cornell is a sole man on NZ tour

Chris Cornell is not a prat after all.

Sorry to sound so surprised, but with his brooding, sullen looks and often tortured wail, that's the overwhelming impression you get of the Soundgarden front man and former Audioslave member.

And I was also meant to interview the guy in 2005 but Chris stood me up. There we both were, in a flash Los Angeles hotel suite. Cornell had his back to me as he got a glass of water from the kitchen and then, for some reason, he did a runner, leaving his Audioslave band mate Tim Commerford (formerly of Rage Against the Machine) to it.

But on the phone from Los Angeles, where Cornell is recording a new album with Soundgarden, the bloke who still possesses one of rock 'n' roll's most distinctive voices is chatty and laid-back.

In fact, he's so affable I don't have the heart to hit him up about running out on the interview.

He probably hasn't always been this cheery, what with his past battle with alcohol and drugs (he's now sober), and being one of the creators of music as intense and aggressive as Soundgarden's, he was hardly going to be a calm and contented soul.

But he's happy for a few reasons these days. He's making that Soundgarden record for starters, which will be their first in 15 years after the Seattle grunge metal band reformed last year. Soundgarden (still his best work by the way) did not end well in 1997 when creative differences - Cornell wanted to diversify and head in a more melodic rather than heavy direction - meant they called it quits.

"It's been really ... I guess I want to use the word fulfilling, which is weird," he laughs of recording the new album, although he's not saying too much about it, since it's not out until later in the year.

And at the opposite extreme, he's also loving playing solo - just him and his guitar - on his acoustic Songbook tour, which he brings to New Zealand in October.

During the shows he sings songs from throughout his career, including those of Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog (his early-90s band with members of Pearl Jam), Audioslave, songs from his three solo albums and a handful of covers, including songs by John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, and, um, Michael Jackson's Billie Jean (off 2007's solo album Carry On ).

The first show in Auckland, on October 4 at the 2000-capacity ASB Theatre, sold out in 40 minutes with a second being added, and there is also a date in Wellington.

"To be working between the two worlds, with the tour being so stripped-down, and to have that sandwiched between recording Soundgarden material, which is about aggression, adrenalin, and rhythmic chaos, it's great," he says.

The Ace Black Blog: CD Review: Out Of Exile, by Audioslave (2005)

The second Audioslave album after the self-titled debut is more of the same: finely polished radio-friendly metal, making the most of Chris Cornell's distinctively anguished vocals and Tom Morello's exquisite guitar wizardry. Out Of Exile does not set the world on fire, but neither does it disappoint. Four guys deep into their second decade of making metal, the rage has long since been replaced by a combination of resignation and the patient wisdom that can only be earned from the experience of trying to change the world. The best two tracks come early. Your Time Has Come confidently crashes in to open proceedings with an energized beat propelled by Brad Wilk's drums, and a straightforward but powerful Morello riff, a rare instance of guitar resoundingly trumping vocals on an Audioslave track. Be Yourself is the most memorable song on the album, a haunting but understated melody perfectly matching Cornell's impassioned delivery, who then yields to allow Morello a fun, old-fashioned solo. Both Cornell and Morello can be overbearing in large doses, and with 12 tracks Audioslave are almost guilty of just slightly overstaying their welcome, despite the good intention of serving up a substantial feast of elegant music. But too much of Audioslave is not necessarily a bad thing: Out Of Exile is mature metal for a discerning audience, aiming for the often ignored middle ground where accessible music is infused with hardened energy.

Audioslave Songs, Doesn't Remind Me, Cochise, Be Yourself, Like a Stone, Original Fire, Show Me How to Live, Your Time Has Come, Revelations

Billboard

The self-destruction of the West, critical cultural anthropology

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