Alice in Chains
Sap

“Sap” is a jewel of rare beauty enshrined in the sparkling discography of Alice. Released a few months before the milestone “Dirt”, and despite having only 4 tracks on the lineup, this EP unlocked unusual compositional horizons for the band of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. Horizons that would be expanded particularly on “Jar of Flies” and in “Alice in Chains”, the eponymous, magnificent swan song of the Seattle band. The successful debut “Facelift”, although interesting, had not fully convinced, as it was still too tied to the rock style of the 80s, hastily repainted with rock modernism, as per the lesson from Soundgarden and Jane’s Addiction.

Cantrell and company had the happy intuition in “Sap” to loosen the knots of electric tension, in favor of a more intimate approach, given precisely by a new acoustic dimension. This shift was immediately effective in bringing out the sick streak of Layne Staley, the true added value of the band. The opening track “Brother” is emblematic in this sense: a successful combination of the band's electric and acoustic soul. The vocal harmonies of Cantrell and Staley are stunning in their intertwining, not in a trivial way like in “Facelift”, but creating that disorienting effect that will characterize all subsequent production, particularly “Down in a Hole” or “Sickman”. “Got Me Wrong” is not as impactful: it's a successful grunge piece, but quite conventional. The best comes with the two concluding tracks. "Right Turn” features Mark Arm and Chris Cornell. The mood of this episode is nothing short of splendid. The classic West Coast sound of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young transfers from sunny California to the cold waters off Seattle. The concluding “Am I Inside?” is finally poignant. Accompanied by the superb vocalist Ann Wilson, Staley creates the archetype of his alienating ballads, like “Nutshell” and “Frogs”. On sinister arpeggios, Layne confronts the ghosts of his drug addiction, sending shivers down the spine when he sighs “Black is all I feel / So this is how it feels to be free”.

And also regrets for a brilliant artist, gone one ordinary day under the leaden sky of the Northwest.