ALICE IN CHAINS 'UNPLUGGED' CD

UNPLUGGED isn't Alice In Chains' first unplugged record; it's just the first official, MTV-sanctioned one. The EPs JAR OF FLIES and SAP are both low-key, mostly-acoustic outings that achieved a similar vibe without the benefit of an MTV appearance. Which is to say Alice In Chains isn't jumping on a bandwagon here; they're doing more of something they do very well.

UNPLUGGED features acoustic versions of songs from every record in the Seattle band's catalog except its debut, FACELIFT. And it heavily features guitarist Jerry Cantrell, who wrote or co-wrote 12 of these 13 songs, including the previously-unrecorded "Killer Is Me." Cantrell's vocals pace that one along with "Heaven Beside You" and "Over Now." Lead singer Layne Staley, meanwhile, finds a fitting outlet here for his creaky voice, particularly as he tackles harrowing images of drug addiction in "Sludge Factory" and "Down In A Hole."

TRACKLIST:

Nutshell [MTV Unplugged]
Brother [MTV Unplugged]
No Excuses [MTV Unplugged]
Sludge Factory [MTV Unplugged]
Down in a Hole [MTV Unplugged]
Angry Chair [MTV Unplugged]
Rooster [MTV Unplugged]
Got Me Wrong [MTV Unplugged]
Heaven Beside You [MTV Unplugged You]
Would? [MTV Unplugged]
Frogs [MTV Unplugged]
Over Now [MTV Unplugged]
The Killer Is Me [MTV Unplugged]