Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk

In many ways, it’s a surprise that the collaboration between former Belle & Sebastian singer Isobel Campbell and grizzled grunge survivor Mark Lanegan has made it to album number three. Much of their initial success was down to the striking contrast between Lanegan’s sinister growl and Campbell’s sweet harmonies, a modern-day update of the Hazlewood/Sinatra template. Their first two albums - Ballad of the Broken Seas and Sunday at Devil Dirt - presented a coherent vision: dusty Americana with a cinematic, evocative feel. Yet now that the novelty has worn off somewhat, surely a third collection will struggle to capture as much interest as its predecessors?

Well, Hawk may not be a radical change of direction, but there are plenty of subtle changes here to keep things fresh. Whereas their two previous albums had a fairly consistent aesthetic, this record feels more disjointed – in a good way. Despite their joint billing, Lanegan only actually sings on eight of the 13 tracks here, while Campbell, as ever, is responsible for the songwriting, production and arrangements. She even collaborates with a separate male figure, Willy Mason, on ‘No Place to Fall’ (supposedly because Lanegan didn’t feel comfortable covering Townes Van Zandt twice on one album) and ‘Cool Water’. It’s not just down to who’s singing what though: musically, Hawk feels less stylised and more varied than Ballad or Devil Dirt.

The atmospheric opening track ‘We Die and See Beauty Reign’ and the bluesy ‘Snake Song’ (the other Van Zandt number) are the most typical of Campbell/Lanegan’s approach up until now, and there’s nothing wrong with either, but elsewhere they stretch out. ‘Get Behind Me’ is probably the most driving, rollicking tune they’ve done so far, with echoes of Dylan’s electric phase. ‘Come Undone’ calls to mind the classic soul of Simone or Brown; ‘To Hell and Back Again’ is narcotised, woozy dream-pop sung solo by Campbell, while the elegant duet ‘Time of the Season’ sounds like none other than Belle & Sebastian themselves.

The best surprises of all come right at the end: ‘Eyes of Green’ is a rousing, Celtic-tinged ballad swept along by fiddles and accordion, while closing track ‘Lately’ is an uplifting gospel number with Lanegan’s gruff but warm vocals backed by a choir. It’s a lovely conclusion to a highly enjoyable record: Campbell and Lanegan are far from finished with each other yet.