New Music

Anyone willing and able to look beyond the FM dial knows that there's a lot of good, new music out there.

Bands like Young the Giant, Florence and the Machine, and The Gaslight Anthem and vocalists like Ryan Adams and Adele prove that on a daily basis as they rise up the charts.

But as much as I'm enjoying discovering a new sound, sometimes it's nice to hear an old, familiar voice.

This week, Soundgarden and Audioslave lead singer Chris Cornell releases a live and acoustic album.

Including solo versions of classics I am the Highway, Doesn't Remind Me, and Black Hole Sun, among others, Songbook hits iTunes tomorrow.

Most important for me, though, is the inclusion of an incredible cover of John Lennon's Imagine.

Imagine is a song with a deep, meaningful resonance for a great many people. And any time another artist covers it--even if I don't usually like the artist--I'll try to give it a listen.

When it's someone like Chris Cornell, though, I'll definitely seek it out.

Last week I heard Cornell play Imagine on the Howard Stern Show and I have to say, it might have been the best cover of my favorite song.

So I'll be picking up (or downloading, I suppose) Songbook when it comes out tomorrow. And if you're interested, check out YouTube for video of Cornell channeling Lennon.

Because it's pretty spectacular.