Jerry Cantrell’s first two solo releases were the product more of necessity than choice. Following the retreat of Alice In Chains’ legendary original vocalist Layne Staley from the public eye in 1996, their already-legendary guitarist would pour his pent-up inspiration into a pair of records that ached with frustration, misery and mania: 1998’s Boggy Depot and 2002’s Degradation Trip. Arriving 19 years down the line, third LP Brighten is a calmer, more reflective beast, its mixture of warmth and melancholy very much the product of two decades maturation and healing. Jerry describes outstanding opening track and lead single Atone as a song that’s haunted him for 20 years. With its steely, sandblasted spaghetti-western aesthetic, however – indebted to the films...