Mad Season - Above

Alice in Chains vocalist Layne Staley teams with Seattle pals Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) and Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees) in the tradition of other part-time grunge aggregations like Brad and Hater. These 10 numbers--mostly somber, acoustic-hued ballads like the single "River of Deceit"--are a therapeutic soul-cleansing for the troubled Staley. Core fans of any of the aforementioned bands will rank this with the solo work of Screaming Tree frontman Mark Lanegan (a guest vocalist here). --Jeff Bateman Amazon.com

Great Work

I received this cassette as a gift when it came out in the 90's from someone I was dating at the time. I fell in love with it, not the person. All worked out as it should have and this is still a great album. I do feel it was an under-rated album. Layne Staley is raw, poetic and genuine as always. He was among the greatest singer/song writers ever. So unique, so fragile, so moving. If you like Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam, please give Mad Season a well deserved listen. June 19, 2008

Absolute Masterpiece

Can't say much more than I enjoyed this CD more than any Alice In Chains, or any other 90's Seattle scene music! Lots relative to the pain of heroin addiction, which Staley suffered and died from way too young. The CD lyrics, with the facts surronding Staley's demise, make it eerie to the point of good music causing gooseflesh! This CD is awesome. Good luck finding it anywhere else off the shelves. The bargain of my life was this CD, right here! April 29, 2008

Under appreciated

I first heard this album in a drafting class in high school. A friend had on his headphones as we all listened to music in the class and I asked him what he was listening to. He said Mad Season and I had never heard of them before. He handed me the headphones and Wake Up was playing. I demanded to borrow the CD and bought it soon after. Some of Layne Staley's best lyrics and all of the contributing musicians just do an incredible job. Give it a listen. December 5, 2007

Layne Staley's most personal album and a must for AIC fans.

This was a side project of Layne Staley in the mid-90s, and it screams Alice In Chains, at least, the more acoustic side of them. Layne's voice is never better than on here, and the quirky songwriting he perfected is evident on here.
"River of Deceipt" is the single, and that is one of the best songs, with its haunting, acoustic arrangements.
"I'm Above" is the best rocker on here, and I've heard it on Syrius radio.
There are plenty of highlights on here. I would say that if you are a fan of "Sap" or "Jar of Flies" by Alice In Chains, you will love this album too.
RIP: Layne
You were the best. August 9, 2007

RIP layne staley

mad season was a side project of layne staley (former frontman for alice in chains) along with one of the guitar players from pearl jam and a no-name drummer. all of the songs are playable but only 1 or 2 really stand out with artificial red being my fav. i would recommend buying a used copy for a few bucks if you are a fan of AIC and are curious about this music. the cover art is really cool too. June 4, 2007

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