Former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell’s first solo record, Euphoria Morning, is one of the most eagerly- and nervously- awaited releases of the year. Produced in Los Angeles by Cornell and pals Alain Johannes and Natasha Schneider of Eleven, and featuring Guns ‘N Roses’ recent drummer Josh Freese, it’s bound to prompt questions. Will it rock like Soundgarden, hardcore fans wonder with white knuckles? Will every song sound like "Black Hole Sun"? Will he go acoustic? Will he still make those cool Ronnie James Dio banshee screams? Their fears are valid; after all, only a few bands- Zeppelin among them- have been such a perfect balance of personalities and sound. So for Cornell, a big part of making his own record was identifying his individual strengths outside the band.

"Even though I played guitar and wrote a lot of the songs in Soundgarden, those aren’t my strongest points," says Cornell. "My strongest point is my singing, so the songs on my solo album are really geared toward lyrics and vocals."

More a pop-rock record than anything Soundgarden released, Euphoria finds Cornell tackling an r&b style ballad on "When I’m Down," getting Radiohead-ish on "Preaching the End of the World," kicking a soul- funk groove on "Wave Goodbye" and stripping down to acoustic folk on "Sweet Euphoria". Other tracks like "Flutter Girl" and "Can’t Change Me" are almost Beatles- esque: solid melodies perched on top of classic chord changes, not just shifting riff patterns, and lyrics that tell stories and make points, unlike the often cryptic and impenetrable lyrics on Soundgarden records.

"Lyrics have always been the hardest thing for me," says Cornell. "But since Superunknown [1994], it’s turned around to where today that’s actually one of the more comfortable things for me. On my new album, I’m trying to incorporate more of a straight attitude lyrically, while still having it be poetic and meaningful in terms of wordplay and vision. I’d done as much as I could as a lyricist and still be guarded- not really take that leap into possible putting my foot in my mouth. I just decided to go for it."

Euphoria Morning is scheduled for a late September release on A&M/Interscope.

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