Another gem from a great duo.
In 2006, Isobel Campbell, of Belle and Sebastian, teamed up with former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan to bring us the brilliant Ballad of the Broken Seas. Recalling great rough-male/gentle-female duos of yesteryear like Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, Sunday at Devil Dirt continues what Ballad started. The dozen Campbell-penned tracks keep production true to the stripped-down sound of the album’s predecessor. Cuts such as “Seafaring Song,” “Salvation,” and “Trouble” stick to a simple acoustic guitar, while “Who Built the Road,” and “Come On Over (Turn Me On)” are orchestrated with lush string arrangements. Don’t be fooled by Campbell’s waiflike voice, because this writer/musician/singer/producer is definitely in the driver’s seat, unlike Nancy in the Sinatra/Hazlewood days. As for Lanegan, his voice has the perfect salty, deep, darkness to accompany Campbell’s sweet vocal quality, resulting in another gem from this great duo.
