Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood: Black Pudding (Ipecac, 5/14/13)
Singer-songwriter Mark Lanegan, formerly ofScreaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age, is an avid and intrepid collaborator. His latest project finds him working with UK-based multi-instrumentalist Duke Garwood, who reprises his role as a contributor on the Mark Lanegan Band’s latest album, Blues Funeral.
Their first album as a dedicated duo, Black Pudding largely spotlights the soulful, finger-picked guitar work for which Garwood is known, but it pairs them with Lanegan’s grizzled vocals. And despite the high caliber of their technique, Lanegan and Garwood’s adaptability is what makes this a strong, re-visitable album. The tracklist is peppered with subtle diversities, spanning from the introspective title track to the funky, Rhodes piano-tinged pulse of “Cold Molly.” Other highlights like “Death Rides a White Horse” thrive on a folksy sorrow, playing like morose swan songs written by an incredibly talented town drunk.