Boggy Depot (1998)
I can’t think of any reason to listen to it after the first two songs, unless you want an entire album’s worth of proof that his songwriting has descended from brilliant to mostly competent. “Dickeye” and “Cut You In” are above competent, and could even fit on ‘Alice In Chains’ or maybe even replace the lone low spot on ‘Jar of Flies’. But that’s not really enough given this man’s talent.
(“Cut You In”)
Grade: C-
Degradation Trip (2002)
Competent. Professional. Boring. Dull. Meaningless.
Here Jerry calls upon every influence he can think of to try to re-evoke a dead band and fails miserably. Alice In Chains without Layne Staley is not Alice In Chains, and this is no “dedication”. If I were to be ultimately optimistic, I’d say it was an abysmal failure to honor a dead friend. But I’m going to be more realistic, and I’ll say it’s probably Jerry trying to make money off a dead man’s pain. And I think that stinks.
Grade: F