Ted's Song of the Week - 7/25/06

Settling Down
Jerry Cantrell
Boggy Depot

Every once in awhile, I'll blow the dust off of the records that defined my early years for a bit of nostalgia. You know what I mean. All it takes is one song to bring you back to a specific time, place, or achievement. That's the brilliance of music. Everyone's life has a soundtrack, although some may have a bit more background music than others. One of the albums that carved itself a niche in my life was Jerry Cantrell's Boggy Depot.

Released in 1998, Boggy Depot came at a time when angst, confusion, and "being misunderstood" were commonplace in my world. In other words, I was a teenager. Coincidentally, grunge was still lingering on the music scene, so my attitudes and the music of the time were alligned fairly well. This album was successful because it managed to capture the gloomy sound of grunge without totally getting sucked into the downward spiral of the genre.

My friends were all fairly big fans of Cantrell's Alice In Chains, so this solo record didn't have too much of a problem findings its way into our listening rotation. With tracks like "Cut You In" and "My Song" getting decent radio play, Boggy Depot found a decent amount of commercial appeal and gave AIC fans some satisfaction until the next record could be produced.

"Settling Down" never got a whole lot of attention on Boggy Depot, but I always thought it was one of the album's finest tracks. Cantrell delivers this melancholy confessional with a sincerity that makes one believe he's desperately in need of a hug. Of course, the haunting bass-line delivered by Fishbone bassist Norword Fisher helps to create this "only happy when it rains" mood. Enjoy!

Jerry Cantrell - Settling Down