Gravel-voiced Lanegan and angel-voiced Campbell was never going to fail when they came along with Ballad of the Broken Seas a few years back. While many raised eyebrows at the union of a former Belle and Sebastian cello-player and singer and a former Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stoneage front man, it was exactly that mix of rock n’ roll devil with pop-innocence which has proved decisive.
Country, folk, blues and chamber-pop are their touchstones which has enabled them to plough a furrow all their own. The success is also due to the fact that here are two free-spirits who regularly collaborate aswell as record their own solo records, she has four and he has six, which surprise surprise are also great.
Second album, 2008′s Sunday at Devil Dirt is an album packed with heartache and sadness, for a change, which cemented Campbell and Lanegan’s position as possibly the best male/female duo around today. Hawk, their third record in only four years, was released last August to similar critical acclaim although many have pointed to the fact it’s possibly still shy of what they are, in fact, capable of. Not to put pressure on them or anything but the fourth album should be a bonafide classic of dusty, twangy, lovelorn…oh right, have to run to buy my tickets. See you there.
Here’s a link to Honey child from Ballad of the Broken Seas. The myspace is all sample tracks only, lame, so here’s a video from new album Hawk.
