Alice In Chains

Unplugged

Flashes of Brilliance

Review Score:

(8/10)
Let me start out by saying that this album cannot be compared to Nirvana's Unplugged. Nirvana played covers and wasn't afraid to experiment with this format. AIC stuck with their classics, stripped them down, and unplugged them. So they did two completely different things even though they were both "Unplugged". Now...

I'll start out with what's good about this album. "Down in a Hole" is easily the highlight of the album. "Nutshell" stays true to the original until the solo at the end which is nicely rewritten to work acoustically. "Frogs" is Stayley's best vocal performance on the album. Finally, "Over Now" gives us a sad reminder that the four guys sitting on stage are just about done as a band.

Now for the bad. "Brother" doesn't change too much, except that it now lacks Ann (or Nancy?) Wilson of Heart. "No Excuses" is played even faster than the original when it should have been slowed down. As for material omitted, there's nothing from the "Facelift" album. And since all of these songs could be heard on the radio, they didn't get a chance to show casual fans that their non-hit material was excellent too. Brush Away, Rotten Apple, Don't Follow, Hate to Feel, etc. could have worked acoustically.

All of that said, the album is still worth having because you get to hear the boys sing without the distortion and echo that usually cloud their studio performances. There are some great bluesy guitar runs that are fun to listen to as well. Finally, it is, "The best show we've done in 3 years".

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