Chris Cornell snags Timbaland to produce new set

Nov. 9, 2008

Chris Cornell Snags Timbaland to Produce New Set
Chris Cornell’s new album, Scream, is still casting around for a release date (general consensus being that it will surface early next year), and fans might be surprised to hear that it’s a bit of a change-up from Cornell’s previous sound. This time around, he’s snagged Timbaland as album producer, and the album itself is full of unusual instrumentation, as well as elements of extra soul and hip-hop. The first single, “Ground Zero,” will likely surface on MTV with its accompanying Brooklyn-shot music video...
The 2008 Billboard Touring Awards are set to hit the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City next week, to honor the top ticket sellers and top grossing acts of the year. In spite of the spotty economy, fans were still out in droves to see live shows - probably as a distraction from the worries of the day - and made for plenty of award finalists for the Billboard board to choose from. Among this year’s surprisingly mostly retro finalists are The Police, Spice Girls, Celine Dion, Michael Buble, Madonna, Jonas Brothers and Mary J. Blige/Jay-Z - the top festival finalists include the Coachella Fest in Indio, California, and this year’s Lollapalooza, which took over Chicago this past August...
The ASCAP Awards honored their 2008 award-winners recently with a ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House, where they gave Dido her Songwriter of the Year honor (she releases her new album, Safe Trip Home, on November 17) - Dido also won ASCAP awards in recognition of U.S. performances last year of “White Flag” and “Thank You.” Other award winners included pop-rock band The Kooks (for their debut disc Inside In/Inside Out), writers John Beck and Steve Chrisanthou (for Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On”), and Annie Lennox...
And singer Seal has teamed up with producer David Foster to wrap work on a new cover album that he’s titled Soul - the album brings together a set of classic soul songs as hand-picked by Seal and Foster, including ones by Sam Cooke, James Brown, and Otis Redding. With the recording process having gone quite smoothly according to a posting on Seal’s site, the set will hit stores this week, complete with first single “A Change is Gonna Come” (the Sam Cooke cover) for which the video can also be viewed on Seal’s website...

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
Green Day has posted footage on www.youtube.com of themselves in the studio along with producer Butch Vig, and Billie Joe Armstrong on guitar; Green Day fans can snag small listens of two new songs in the clip, a decent preview considering their album won’t be out until 2009...

MINI BUZZ:
Foo Fighter Dave Grohl’s hometown of Warren, Ohio, will honor the Foo frontman by renaming local street Market Alley to Dave Grohl Alley; Grohl is expected to be invited to a dedication ceremony later this year...
Good Charlotte is set to release a remix album, The Greatest Remixes, on November 25; the set will include a remix of “Hold On” by The Academy Is and a Teddy Reilly remix of “I Just Wanna Live”...
Soulful singer Maxwell introduced several new songs recently during a show at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall - the new tunes, “Bad Habits,” “Pretty Wings” and “Comb” are set to be included on Maxwell’s upcoming TBA album Black Summer’s Night...
Former American Idol country-soul champ Taylor Hicks has resigned with Artist to Market to release his as-yet-untitled new album, which will hit stores on February 10th of next year; while waiting for the set’s release, Hicks will reprise his role as the Teen Angel in a national touring company of the musical Grease...
Psychobilly band Reverend Horton Heat have added some dates to their tour schedule for December of this year, including stops in Detroit (12/6), Grand Rapids, MI (12/7), and Chicago IL (12/9)...
The Kinks’ Ray Davies is promoting his newest set, Working Man’s Cafe, with some new tour dates, - he’ll be playing shows in Atlanta, GA (12/2), Atlantic City, NJ (12/5), and Washington DC (12/8)...
And playing soon (they hope) on your media player are this week’s new releases... ON CD: The Bronx’ The Bronx III... Enya’s And Winter Came... Music Soulchild’s On My Radio... Seal’s Soul... Spindrift’s The West... and The Postmarks’ By the Numbers... ON DVD: Genesis: 1970-1975... Behind the Music: The Carpenters... and Cash for Kenya: Johnny Cash Live in Johnstown, PA ... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your fave musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com