Jonathan Cain has a lot to say. He's a busy guy working on several things outside of his duties as Journey's main songwriter, pianist and back-up vocalist.

These days, Journey is back on the road touring and playing the same songs to the faithful, the same songs that made the band a major force in Top-40 radio from the late '70s through the late '80s.

Nor is he letting the royalties from his other band, Bad English (with Neal Schon of Journey), come in while he sits back and sips martinis.

He's put out a new solo record called "Where I Live" that's a deeply personal record for Cain. If you thought Journey songs like "Who's Crying Now" or "When You Love a Woman," were personal ballads, wait until you hear "Where I Live."

"It's an acoustic thing, yeah, kind of unplugged. I try to keep it that way because Journey's a lot more electric and solo albums should be intimate. That's my personal outlook," Cain said. "I'm not going to sing like (former Journey singer) Steve Perry in a million years, and I'm not going to go there."

"I tried to tailor ('Where I Live') to stuff they wouldn't do, things that are close to my heart. It's sort of defining the guy. That's the purpose of the CD ... to explore who the guy is. I did an album back in '91, and it was like, who is this guy? It was like this trepidation of what am I going to find?"

Well he found something on the new record. He found out he does love his wife, his life, his outlook, where he's from and where he's going. But he also found he had things to say about things like global warming and his hometown of Chicago. There's even a tribute song to actor Marlon Brando.

Cain said he's been performing these songs for several years though not at Journey concerts but he got tired of telling people who liked them, "Sorry, that song's not on an album." So he went to work in his home recording studio and put the record out. He said he doesn't expect a platinum-selling record out of the project, but he also thinks it's a record that you don't have to be a Journey fan to appreciate.

"With Journey, you've got everybody, and we all throw ideas in a big pot. Some people like my voice, some people don't," Cain said. "And now I don't have to have a long guitar solo in the middle."