Isobel Campbell, formerly of Belle and Sebastian, has teamed up for a third time with Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age) on Hawk, a beautiful collec-tion of Americana/Roots songs. Lanegan is one of the most soulful crooners alive, and his deep, swaggering vocals have always been best when com-bined with the sweet harmonies of a gentle lady voice to balance his dark side. Since 2006, that particular songbird has been Isobel Campbell, and the pairing of these two does not disappoint. Hawk is a mix of morose and lovesick tunes written mostly by Campbell, with the exception of two Townes Van Zandt covers on which Lanegan is replaced by singer Willy Mason. Besides one messy, instrumental blues jam, the record is haunting and stunning, just like the duo’s other collaborations. In the tradition of Gainsbourg/Birkin or Hazlewood/Sinatra, these two carry the torch for the ideal combination of salty and sweet. You won’t be able to resist going back for more.
Hawk
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