Three albums into a creative coupling that’s grown no less odd with age, former Belle & Sebastian singer Isobel Campbell and ex-Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan are still drawing power from the tension between her wispy indie-pop coo and his deep blues-grunge growl.
Yet “Hawk” works best when Campbell — who wrote, produced and arranged most of these 13 tunes — nudges their collaboration into new territory: the lush, retro-’70s soul sound of “Come Undone,” which could have been rescued from an old Bobby Womack record, or “Get Behind Me,” a blast of raw, White Stripes-style garage rock. In the latter, Campbell even turns the tables on her partner, summoning enough bad-seed sass to rival Lanegan’s self-assured cool.
More delicate cuts such as “We Die and See Beauty Reign” and a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Snake Song” glow with an understated sensuality. But they also feel pretty familiar — more familiar, that is, than their dusty roots-music vibe is intended to feel.
Perhaps Campbell shares that sentiment, as “Hawk” also features a pair of duets with Willy Mason, two solo cuts, an instrumental title track and a closer, “Lately,” on which she cedes vocal duties to Lanegan and a couple of gospel belters.
— Mikael Wood
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
“Hawk”
(Vanguard)
Two and a half stars (Out of four)