Some more details about Alice In Chains’ new album have leaked out — Elton John sings and plays piano on the title track, “Black Gives Way To Blue,” according to AIC insiders. The album, set to come out September 29th, is a tribute to Layne Staley, the original frontman of the group who died in 2002 of a “speedball” overdose.

Jerry Cantrell thought that the track could use a bit of piano, and a friend suggested Elton John. Cantrell, in a statement to Rolling Stone recalls

“I remember laughing and saying, ‘Yeah, I’ll get right on that… But I decided it was worth trying and wrote Elton an e-mail explaining what the song means to us — that it’s a real, raw openhearted song for Layne. Elton is a huge influence on me as a songwriter and having him on that song is an amazing honor for us.”

Sir Elton John also had mentioned that he ad been “an admirer of Jerry Cantrell” for quite some time and couldn’t turn down their offer. “It was a great recording session with Alice In Chains for a beautiful song,” John released in a statement. The recording was completed in Vegas, where John was finishing up his Red Piano show. Cantrell finished with another few words about John — “Walking into a studio and seeing that sheet music for that song on Elton’s piano made it meaningful on so many different levels.. The whole experience was pretty magical.”

I had been looking forward to this album after hearing the first single “A Looking In View” last month. I am a big fan of Elton John and while I cannot stress how surprising this collaboration is, I cannot wait to hear it. Elton and the group both seem genuinely excited for the track, so I’m sure it’s going to be good! Expect to see a full review for “Black Gives Way To Blue” shortly after the release.