Mad Season

Above (Columbia ’95) Rating: B+
With Alice In Chains on temporary hiatus, Layne Staley joined forces with some of Seattle’s finest (Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, and the unknown John Baker Saunders on bass) for an ad-hoc supergroup. This gave Staley a chance to show off his songwriting skills (Jerry Cantrell is Alice’s prime songwriter) while giving McCready a chance to strut his stuff (sans Stone Gossard), particularly on “November Hotel.” And though it could be argued that Mad Season lacks the phenomenal chemistry of their parent bands, Above is well above average on the whole. For example, “Wake Up” begins the album with a slow, moody burner that gradually builds in intensity, boosted by Staley’s powerful vocal performance. “X-Ray Mind” is a groove-based track on which Staley duets with himself (via multi-tracking) to make up for Cantrell’s absence, a strategy that also works well on the loose, laid back “I’m Above.” “Long Gone Day” likewise has a loose, groovy vibe, while “River Of Deceit” is a melodic downer that got plenty of airplay. So did the brooding “Lifeless Dead” and “I Don’t Know Anything,” a hard rocker that churns along with an Alice In Chains-like intensity. The pretty, keyboard-based closer “All Alone” also connects, though it must be said that some of these songs plod a little too much for their own good (for example, “Artificial Red” starts slowly and never really gets going). Above moves along at its own relaxed pace, and the album’s considerable commercial success made me fear that perhaps my beloved Alice In Chains would be heard from no more. Alas, Mad Season has since been silent, as each of its members went back to their perspective meal tickets, suitably refreshed from the experience.

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