Alice In Chains co-founder and lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell recently had an interview with Bryan Rolli on Ultimate Classic Rock, during which he touched upon his relationship with Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan.
Besides his career with Alice In Chains, Cantrell has also pursued a solo career. In a previous interview, the musician had stated that he actually didn’t want to do a solo album, but when Alice In Chains slowed down, he needed to take action and move on with his own music career.
After a long break, Jerry Cantrell released his third solo album ‘Brighten’ on October 29, 2021. The album features many famous names like Tyler Bates, Duff McKagan, Gil Sharone, Abe Laboriel Jr., and Vincent Jones. There are eight songs within ‘Brighten,’ and the last track is a cover of Elton John’s ‘Goodbye,’ which is one of Cantrell’s favorite songs.
During the conversation, Jerry Cantrell talked about the new album and said that he likes the melodic layers and the narrative in the records. The frontman was also asked about his relationship with Duff McKagan, who contributed to the album. The musician said that they have collaborated in the past and noted that they have been good friends for a long time. Cantrell also expressed the admiration he feels for McKagan for being such a talented musician.
Here is what Cantrell said about McKagan:
“We do, and Duff’s asked me on a number of occasions to join him on some of his efforts, some of his solo records. And we did a cool thing where we played a song for Jimmy Carter’s birthday. He joined us on tour when we were heading toward making ‘Black Gives Way to Blue,’ came out on the road with us and played guitar with us.
And we’re good friends and longtime collaborators. I don’t think he intended to do the whole record, but he came over to do a song or two, I kept throwing tunes at him, and by the end of a couple of days, he’d already done three-quarters of the record. He’s just so talented. I just admire him as a musician and as a man.”
You can listen to Jerry Cantrell’s latest solo album ‘Brighten’ below.
