Into the flood again...

The first new Alice in Chains album (Black Gives Way to Blue) since the death of Layne Staley was released recently, and it's good....really good....much better than I figured it would be. I should have had higher expectations given the fact that Jerry Cantrell really is the driving force and the creative genious behind the band. But everyone knows that Layne was the face of the band and the voice of the band. That being said, he's gone, and the band shouldn't be criticized for continuing on without him. Jerry, Sean, and Mike have consistently honored his memory and haven't rushed to get a new album out the door just to make a quick buck.



Back to the album....Most of the songs are very good, but a few are excellent. "A Looking in View" has the classic AIC feel and harmonies, "Your Decision" is as good as any song from Jar of Flies, and "Private Hell" is incredible and holds up well against anything the band has ever done. It would fit in nicely on the greatest album of all-time, Dirt.

It seems that the band made a conscious decision to ease new "lead" singer William Duvall into the band slowly. Jerry Cantrell sings the lead on the majority of the songs and does a great job, as usual. As a result, many of the songs have more of a solo Jerry feel to them, like songs that could have been on the amazing Degradation Trip. I have a feeling that William will be featured more heavily on the band's next release. Until then, I'm extremely happy with the new album. It's so great to have new music from my favorite band, especially when I was beginning to think it would never happen.







"Lay down
Black gives way to blue
Lay down
I'll remember you"

Backspacer!!

The new Pearl Jam album, Backspacer, was released today....The boys and I went to Target after church to get "our" copy. This album included the ability to download 2 recent concert bootlegs from a pre-selected choice of 11 shows...I already had most of the shows on the list, but I was able to use the opportunity to pick up the Hartford '08 show and East Rutherford '06 show.

After listening to Backspacer several times throughout the day, I'm really enjoying it. It's nice and tight (about 38 minutes total)...The songs are great mix of upbeat, pop and punk with some slower songs that remind me of Ed's great work on the Into the Wild soundtrack.

What a great weekend!! First UK beats the 'Ville, and now a new CD by the greatest American rock band!

RIP, Layne

I just wanted to note that today is the day that Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) passed away 7 years ago. Although his body was not found until April 20, it was determined that he died on the 5th. No other band and no other singer has had more of an impact on me than Alice in Chains and Layne. He packed such a powerful voice into his small, slight body. His voice is the most distinct voice in rock music, and every year it seems a new band trots out a singer who attempts to replicate it, but fails every time. When I hear all the garbage that accounts for rock music on the radio today, I can't help but think how much better things would be if Layne was still alive (along with Kurt Cobain, Shannon Hoon, and Andy Wood; 3 others that were taken long before their time).

I'll never forget the two times I was able to see AIC in concert, and I continue to listen to all of the amazing music they made together when Layne was alive.



Rest in peace...

"Son, she said, have I got a little story for you..."

Today is the day for the re-release of Pearl Jam's Ten....I don't have much to say here. I just wanted to note the release of the newly re-mixed epic first album from Pearl Jam, Ten. The band is releasing several different packages to celebrate the 18th anniversary of one of the seminal albums of all-time. I'll be buying the version that includes the previously unreleased DVD of the MTV Unplugged show. I am a lifelong PJ fan, and while Ten isn't my favorite album (No Code is, or maybe Vs., or Vitalogy, or Lost Dogs, depending on my mood), I appreciate that without the huge success of Ten, the other albums may not have followed. "Alive" and "Even Flow" are huge songs that still hold up well when the band plays them live today. This album also has two of my all-time favorite PJ songs, "Oceans" and "Release". I can't wait to hear the new mixes of all the songs.

Maybe we'll get lucky and get a tour out of this!!

Our friend, Ed, loves his wine, too....