The latest collaboration from Isobel Campbell and Mark
Lanegan—late of Belle And Sebastian and Screaming Trees,
respectively—offers a combination that's instantly striking, though not
exactly new: the gnarled male vocal and its glassy female foil. Perhaps
familiarity makes that blend so resonant (the opener's title, "Seafaring Song,"
nods to tradition), or maybe it's just an aural parlor trick, but accompanied
by lonesome plucked guitar, a smattering of strings, and upright bass as it is
here, the mix is undeniable. The question: Can these two sustain interest over
an entire album (their second together), or, like so many of their predecessors'
contributions, will Sunday At Devil Dirt become mere ambience for the two things
most commonly done in bed? As the second song, "The Raven," comes in, featuring
Lanegan atop Campbell's wordless backdrop, it's clear that their chemistry not
only extends beyond the niceties of their voices intertwining, but overcomes
the potential for novelty inherent in their initial collaboration, 2006's Ballad
Of The Broken Seas.