Plus, there's a snaking, bluesy guitar lead that further evokes a musical maturity and depth of melancholy that had only been hinted at on Facelift. The EP's opener, 'Brother,' includes acoustic guitars, haunting vocal harmonies by Cantrell and Staley backed by Wilson. And Ann Wilson of Heart shows up in two songs, pulling Alice in Chains away from their metal roots.īut the record's most unexpected detour is its distinct acoustic feel. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Mudhoney's Mark Arm sing background vocals. The band also brought in several musicians to work with them. Cantrell had always sung harmony alongside singer Layne Staley, but Sap includes 'Brother,' which features Cantrell on lead vocals. The recording sessions, and the EP that came from them, were eclectic. Those songs included the five tracks that showed up on Sap as well as several songs that appeared on their next album, Dirt, released in September 1992. The band decided to make as much use as possible of the studio time and 'ended up demoing about 10 songs,' Cantrell told Louder Sound in 2006.

Sap was recorded when Alice in Chains went into the studio to record the song 'Would' for the soundtrack to the movie Singles, which would be released in fall 1992 to capitalize on the national fascination with grunge and the city of Seattle.

Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell noted in 1992 that, even though the bands that got lumped together and called 'grunge' all came from the same part of the country, 'each band has its own soul.' 'It was a celebration of something that no one could put their finger on,' Nirvana's Kurt Cobain told Rolling Stone a few years later. 'I don’t feel we’re part of any movement,' said Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder in 1991.

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