Were you conscious of that dynamic while you were making this album? It's got some country elements it’s got slide guitar it's got some some sunny, upbeat melodies. You were a pioneer of the Seattle sound in the ‘90s, but when I listen to this record, I get much more of a California feel. I like the narrative, you know? And that goes from the surface all the way to the bottom. Like, “Holy shit, is he doing that there? What's he doing over here?” I love that depth. I love that you get more out of 10 listens and 20 listens and 30 listens. I think a lot of our music and the music that I've been a part of making, we've had some instant, like, "hell yeah" impactful songs and records, but they're really kind of built for the long haul. I grew up on a lot of records like that, and I've tried to create records like that. It has so many instrumental and melodic layers. This is an album that really lends itself to repeated listens.
Shortly after the release of Brighten, Cantrell spoke to UCR about the songwriting process, his guitar-playing philosophy and opening for glam bands during Alice in Chains' early days. In a nod to his classic rock roots, Cantrell closes the album with a haunting cover of Elton John's "Goodbye," which earned the Rocket Man's seal of approval. But Brighten also exchanges dour, down-tuned alt-metal for bucolic folk tunes and swaggering country-rock, speckled with pedal steel guitar and smoky Hammond organ flourishes. The resulting nine-song project features the melancholy vocal harmonies and multilayered guitars that became Alice in Chains hallmarks.