Brighten

This is one of the best hard rock albums to come out in a long time. It's great start to finish. Great musicianship, great lyrics and song writing. Love it!

Too mellow compared to his past solo projects. I got excited when I heard Greg Puciato contributed to the album but his parts are barely discernible.

I’ve been a fan of AIC since day one and most importantly I’ve been a fan of Jerry Cantrell as a writer and performer. This Brighten release is Jerry’s third solo album and first solo release in roughly twenty or so years. The opener Atone is a slice of AIC days, not really a solo album sing since as an artist you are looking to appear as an individual apart from the band your known for but Jerry shifts gears and this album shines really bright. From the production to the tone to the lyrics the songwriting is top shelf as anybody would expect from this man. My personal favorite songs are Nobody breaks you and Prism of Doubt. A solid effort though, all the way through. I Just saw Jerry live 5/1/2022. And he put on a show that was so good and his band was incredible. Go out and buy Brighten you can’t go wrong with Jerry Cantrell.

I saw Jerry live for this album and I gotta say, I love it. Of course it’s still not as heavy as Facelift or Dirt but has the same style as Jar of flies and sap. It’s nice to see jerry still and will forever have talent. The sad thing is we might not see anything like Man in the box or anything heavy to swing the music pendulum back into loving hard rock, like in the 90s. As we get old our music gets older, it’s sad to say it but I’m gonna look back on this album when I’m 60 and say “I remember when this came out! Feels like yesterday.” We all wish we could go back. Anyway Brighten is a great album to reminisce on the old days, also to rock out to.

I've been a big Cantrell/AIC fan my whole adult life. Jerry is one of the guitar greats and an amazing songwriter. Brighten is a sold effort, and a good balance with his other solo efforts. It feels a lot like a hybrid of his post-Layne AIC work and his first solo effort Boggy Depot. Brighten feels like a reflection on redemption and arriving on the other side of a long and wild journey. My biggest gripe is that it feels like we've been here before quite a few times. I hope Jerry keeps churning out work for some time to come, but feel like he has painted himself into a corner a bit.

Really enjoy this album. A little more subdued and bluesy than AIC, but I’ve always loved Jerry’s guitar work and voice. Didn’t skip a song letting it play through and enjoyed them all. Black Hearts and Evil Done will always be a favorite of mine. Give it a shot.

But who doesn’t. This is the closest thing I can get to what to what Laynes soul screamed, I’m ok. Thank you for this album, it’s amazing.

The fact that ANYONE could get me to listen to and fall in love with an Elton John song or Country-ish tunes is a f’n miracle. Gorgeous songwriting, each song is beautiful and rocks and the original blend of Country & Rock totally works here. Adore tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 & 9 and this album is on continuous play. Can’t get enough. Love you Jerry! 💖

If I could give this 6 stars I would. Favorites are “Brighten” and “Siren Song”. It’s like stepping back to the early 90’s.

I am impressed. Liked it at first listen and continues to grow on you the more you listen.