Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan

Sunday at Devil Dirt. (Fontana)

This second collaboration between the baritone growl of Screaming Tree Mark Lanegan and the cotton-ball purr of former Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell continues the mellow flow of 2006’s Ballad of the Broken Seas. Here, Lanegan tries on his best Lee Hazlewood with varying degrees of moodiness, tailoring himself in Campbell’s songwriting and arranging. Seems like a perfect union, but Sunday feels a little too bed-headed and uneven. Opener “Seafaring Song” and “The Raven” build on repetitive, dark tones, and the five bonus tracks added on to the U.S. release just swirl around in the air. It could use more slow-burning thump like “Come on Over (Turn Me On)” and “Back Burner,” not to mention more of Campbell’s vocals in the foreground. Between her sweet and his sour, there should be a whole lot more shaking going on, but instead it’s like they keep coming out of the dressing room with the same hat on.

**

This article appears in January 9 • 2009.

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