Image Courtesy of 42 WestChris Cornell has never been considered a "folk" singer, but on his forthcoming solo album, Higher Truth, the Soundgarden frontman embraces his folksy side, even playing a mandolin on the record's lead single, "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart."
"I rejected most of the folk I was exposed to in the '70s," Cornell tells Rolling Stone. "I came around later to Tom Waits, some parts of Jim Croce and a lot of Cat Stevens. One of the Robinson brothers from the Black Crowes turned me on to Nick Drake. I found a box set on vinyl and pretty much hated it -- until I got to [1972's] Pink Moon. His guitar playing and the compositions are phenomenal."
In support of Higher Truth, Cornell will embark on an acoustic solo tour. Cornell's folk influences have also had an impact on his live show, even performances of his heaviest songs, like Soundgarden's "Outshined."
"I had written an instrumental part in the middle, an interlude, on electric guitar," Cornell says. "On acoustic guitar, it turned out to have a nice Led Zeppelin-y feel. And the vocals flipped into a dirty-blues thing."
Soundgarden's music has long been likened to Led Zeppelin's -- a comparison the band has long distanced themselves from, but has recently warmed up to.
"There are a handful of bands -- Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Killing Joke -- where if I'm writing a song and it reminds me of them, I'll steer into it, rather than run in the other direction," Cornell says.
Higher Truth will be released on September 18.
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