The names Elton John and Alice in Chains are two names you probably never expected to see in the same sentence let alone on an album together. But the former just happened and the latter will on September 29th when Alice in Chain’s new album, Black Gives Way To Blue, hits stores. That’s because Sir Elton will serve as a guest on the title track.
We were thinking about adding piano to the track and a friend suggested we call Elton,” explains guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrel in the issued press release. “I remember laughing and saying, ‘Yeah, I’ll get right on that.’ But I decided it was worth trying and wrote Elton an email explaining what that song means to us—that it’s a real, raw openhearted song for Layne. We sent him the track and got a call shortly after saying he thought it was beautiful and that he wanted to play on it. We were blown away. Elton John is a huge influence on me as a songwriter and having him on that song is an amazing honor for us.”
As previously reported, Black Gives Way To Blue is scheduled for release on August 29th and will mark the band’s first new effort in more than 10 years. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters), the album was recorded at Studio 606 in Northridge, CA and Henson Studios in Hollywood. Tracklist follows.
Black Gives Way To Blue Tracklist:
01. All Secrets Known
02. Check My Brain
03. Last Of My Kind
04. Your Decision
05. A Looking In View
06. When The Sun Rose Again
07. Acid Bubble
08. Lessons Learned
09. Take Her Out
10. Private Hell
11. Black Gives Way To Blue
Alice in Chains 2009 Tour Dates:
08/22 – Pomona, CA @ Epicenter Festival
09/04 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
09/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
09/07 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
09/08 – New York, NY @ The Fillmore
09/11 – Nashville, TN @ WBUZ Buzzfest
09/12 – Indianapolis, IN @ X-Fest
09/13 – Dayton, OH @ X-Fest
09/15 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
09/16 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
09/17 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
09/19 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
09/20 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
09/21 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
09/24 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theater
09/26 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Grill
09/28 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore