Rocker CHRIS CORNELL is set to astound fans with his upcoming sophomore solo album, which contains his cover of MICHAEL JACKSON's classic BILLIE JEAN.
The AUDIOSLAVE singer, who used to front SOUNDGARDEN, admits the cover is a surprise choice, but insists fans will barely recognise the source material.
He says, "There was once a time when Michael Jackson was cool. He was once at the cutting edge of music, even though it was pop.
"There were two things about the song that appealed to me - the song is quite dark and I knew I could make it in to my own, like JOHNNY CASH did it with Soundgarden's RUSTY CAGE and NINE INCH NAILS' HURT.
"If I've played it for someone in the studio, it takes them a little while to realise what the song is. I think it's a moving song and covering Michael Jackson is the last thing anyone would expect from me. It's an odd choice for a cover song."