So I thought I’d take a little break from the rewind reviews and go with a new band/artist. Now I am a big fan of Alice In Chains and a while ago I tried to listen to Jerry Cantrell’s solo albums but for some reason at the time I couldn’t get into it. Well the time seemed right and that’s who’s on the chopping block so let’s take a look……
Boggy Depot- this is an album that is very Alice sounding but that’s not a bad thing. If you ever wondered what Alice In Chains sounded like with just Jerry on vocals then this would be it. All that aside, this is also a different record and aside from Mike Inez and Sean Kinney playing on this one, we also have Les Claypool and Rex Brown also on here. I’ll give this one 9.5/10
Standouts: Dickeye, Keep The Light On, Hurt A Long Time
Degradation Trip Volumes 1 and 2- this was released around the time Alice In Chains was on their break/hiatus and you can tell as this album has a very dark tone to it. What’s cool about this one is that Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin (Faith No More) are on the album. This record definitely goes shows that Jerry can write more than just Alice type music. It’s really a great record and I’ll give it 9/10
Standouts: Solitude, Bargain Basement Howard Hughes, Hellbound
Brighten- best comparison I can give this album is that if you like Dirt or Jar Of Flies, then you’ll really like this. We also get Greg Puciato on vocals for some songs and Duff McKagen on bass. Greg’s vocals are a great accompaniment to Jerry’s vocals. Overall, this is an album that’s more on the softer side of things but it also has kind of a southern rock and country tone and I’ll give this one 9/10
Standouts: Brighten, Had To Know, Prism Of Doubt
I Want Blood- this one goes back to the heavier guitar tones that we got before and it feels like this could’ve come out after Degradation Trip. To me, this does have a couple moments where it can drag but overall, this record is pretty damn good. I’ll give it 8.5/10
Standouts: I Want Blood, Throw Me A Line, Vilified
These albums really show how GREAT of a songwriter Jerry really is. He really is a fantastic guitar player, songwriter, and singer and these albums prove it. Normally I’m not interested in solo projects but these really are great albums and I wish I had done this review a lot sooner because going to see him live and not knowing many of the songs really makes it hard to know what to look forward to. Now live he is fantastic and I am very much looking forward to catching him on the next tour. Definitely check out these albums you won’t be sorry.
Final Grade: A
Album Rankings:
- Boggy Depot
- Brighten
- Degradation Trip Volumes 1 and 2
- I Want Blood
Sinister Reviews 