Black Gives Way to Blue

Alice in Chains is finally back and their new album hit stores today in the US. There are already reviews about it out now, and its the third highest selling album on iTunes right now (wow), so I thought that I'd give my opinion on this new album.

First off, before I start, don't read the idiot that got paid by Rolling Stone to give this album a 2.5/5 since he apparently never listened to the actual album. This is coming from a true Alice in Chains fan, I thought that DuVall would suck as a stand in for Layne. I was wrong. He's an amazing replacement for a band that many didn't think would last after Layne was found dead. Now, onto the actual album. This album sounds like Alice in Chains never got rid of their lead singer. Jerry and company take this album and sent the audience on a trip to 1992-95 mixing the sounds of Jar of Flies, Dirt, and Facelift all together into one album, except with new material and new vocals. My favorite tracks off this album are:

• All Secrets Known - Cantrell doesn't hold back on the lyrics on the opening track with the lines "Hope, A new beginning" and "Calm, all wounds are healing" telling the true fans that yes, there's a change in the line-up, but its been 7 years since Layne died, lets move on. DuVall also delivers that message very clearly, making this track a killer opener. Jerry's solo also helps a little.
• Your Decision - When I first heard this track, I was immediately reminded of the song "Nutshell" on Jar of Flies, which is one of my absolute favorite songs. Ever. It has its mixture of moderately heavy and really soft, which makes for a good combination, showing the fans that AiC hasn't lost anything in the 14 years since their last album. Cantrell's solo is also reminiscent of the one in Nutshell, making it an even better track. Definitely deserving of one of my favorite AiC songs.
• A Looking in View - Being the first track to be released, it had to grow on me. I'm not used to studio recordings of at least 7 minute long songs by AiC, and it starts off relatively strange for an Alice in Chains song. By the time the chorus hits, however, it starts to sound more like Alice in Chains, and thats never a bad thing.
• When the Sun Rose Again - What is probably going to be seen as one of the weaker tracks on this album, When the Sun Rose Again is an interesting song. Its all acoustic with bongos as percussion. It makes an interesting song for this album since it doesn't really seem to fit anywhere, but somehow it works. Cantrell's blues style solos are also perfect for this song, making it seem like a really depressing Eric Clapton song, except with harmonized vocals
• Acid Bubble - Definitely the song thats going to hit with the fans the most is probably this track. Its so classic AiC that its ridiculous. Cantrell and Duvall sound like Layne and Cantrell on Dirt, so its going to hit hard with the fans, not to mention the changes in the song is interesting. They stop for a brief moment and then play something new and you wonder "is this the same song?" and you look down to see that it is. Not my absolute favorite track, but its definitely a good one.
• Black Gives Way to Blue - The title track is a ballad to Layne Staley and it features, on piano, Elton John. Now, when I first heard that, I thought "what?" but then I actually heard the song, and its beautiful. The combination of Acoustic guitars and a slight piano piece in the background of the song turns out to be amazingly powerful and is reminiscent of the track "The Whale and Wasp" on Jar of Flies, which is an acoustic song that just speaks sorrow and beauty. This is my favorite track.

Overall, I'd give this album a 5/5 for being with a new lead singer. The one problem I have though is that a lot of the songs sound alike. The vocals and guitar work on it though are more than good, they're classic Alice in Chains. I'd recommend this album to anyone that wants to jump into a good band like AiC.

With them sounding alike should I just buy a few songs and not the cd then. I'd put them in my i-pod or shuffle.

I use something called the radio, you might have heard of it