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Rating: “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.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Brother (04:27)
Frozen in the place I hide
Not afraid to paint my sky with
Some who say I've lost my mind
Brother try and hope to find
You were always so far away
I know that pain so don't you run away
Like you used to do
Roses in a vase of white
Bloodied by the thorns beside the leaves
That fall because my hand is
Pulling them hard as I can
You were always so far away
I know that pain
So I won't run away like I used to do
Pictures in a box at home
Yellowing and green with mold
So I can barely see your face
Wonder how that color taste
You were always so far away
I know the way so don't you run away
Like you used to do
02 Got Me Wrong (04:12)
Yeah, it goes away
All of this and more of nothing in my life
No colored clay
Individuality not safe
As of now I bet you got me wrong
So unsure you run from something strong
I can't let go
Threadbare tapestry unwinding slow
Feel a tortured brain
Show your belly like you want me to
As of now I bet you got me wrong
So unsure you run from something strong
I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
That don't last forever
Somethings gotta turn out right
You sugar taste
Sweetness doesn't often touch my face
Stay if you please
You may not be here when I leave
As of now I bet you got me wrong
So unsure we run for something strong
I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
Strong, I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
That don't last forever
Somethings gotta turn out right
03 Right Turn (03:17)
Inside always trying to get back inside
But it's so hard to penetrate pig-thick skin
I'm 'bout as low as I can get
I'd leave but I can't forget
Still I wonder why it ain't right, mmm it ain't right, oooh
Ain't right, mmm it ain't right, yeah
'Bout as low as she can get
She'll leave me but she won't forget
And she wonders why she ain't right, she ain't right
Ain't right, she ain't right
Now we're as low as we can get
Can't leave and can't forget
We ain't right, we ain't right
Not right, we ain't right
Well it's hard to believe that somebody tricked you
when you can see you were only high
It's all up to you so you gamble
flat on your face and into the fire
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Other reviews
By andre'79
"Brother," the opening track of Sap, is an anthem to friendship with enveloping melancholy and unmatched vocal interweavings.
The album dies with "Am I Inside"… cold and apocalyptic, where hope dissolves into silence and oblivion.
