The Latest from Campbell/Lanegan

A couple months ago, Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan put out their 3rd CD together-- Hawk. It's mostly Campbell's project-- she writes the tunes and plays a couple of instruments, while Lanegan just doubles her on lead vocals. Even the contact information in the liner notes refers you to Campbell's website. But my attachment to these collaborations come mostly via Lanegan-- certainly one of my favorite voices in all of rock.

I finally got my hands on this record yesterday, and I'm really impressed. Pretty sure it ranks as my favorite of theirs. For one thing, it's just more energetic than their first two records. While both good, those tended to focus on lulling ballads, whereas this one has more than a few bar room stomps. It also has 2 really good Townes Van Zandt covers-- Snake Song and No Place to Fall. (FYI, it's hard to find a Mark Lanegan interview where he doesn't gush all over Townes Van Zandt. His voice is much huskier than Townes' but there's an obvious influence there.)

If anything, a lot of Hawk reminds me of Bob Dylan. Some sounds like his late '60s stuff, particularly the New Morning album, and others sound like songs he's releasing today. Check out this track, which is the last one on the album.

After listening to this twice, it's already sounding like one of my favorites of this year. We'll see come December.

Another little Townes gem...

I figured I'd take this opportunity to post a great gem of an interview with Townes Van Zandt...I may have forced some of you guys to watch this back in college, so it might look familiar. Watch as Townes explains to a star struck woman what his song Pancho and Lefty is "about".

(As for the subsequent performance of the song, I can only say that it's certainly not the definitive version. By 1984 his voice is already starting to go, and in my opinion the song could have done without the flute.)

Steve Earle does Townes: only $2.99 right now on Amazon

I have a feeling this deal won't last long

Steve Earle does Townes!

I'm really excited for this Townes Van Zandt tribute album by Quinapalus and my favorite Steve Earle, coming out in May.
You can stream two tracks here. Check out the Tom Morello guitar solo on 'Lungs'!

http://www.newwestrecords.com/SteveEarle

You Are Not Needed Now

Just felt like it was time I did a quick Townes Van Zandt post. There was a time when this guy was one of my biggest artistic heroes, and even if he's too depressing for me to take most of the time these days (he outdid even Elliott Smith in terms of writing terminally sad songs) he was an incredibly talented, and criminally under appreciated songwriter. As Steve Earle famously quipped: "Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in America, and I will stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that."

Here's a song from High Low and In Between, one of a series of stellar albums he did in the 70's, before he really got around to the serious business of drinking himself to death and destroying his voice.