Mark Lanegan Band - Bubblegum

By now, we should all know Mark Lanegan as the former lead singer of the cool early `90’s band, Screaming Trees, for his guitar/singing duties in the dearly-departed Queens of the Stone Age, and for previous works. On his new full-length release, Bubblegum, the follow-up to last year’s highly impressive Here Comes That Weird Chill (Methamphetamine Blues, Extras, and Oddities), Lanegan gives you a little something-something to chew on. The album boasts a multitude of talent, like PJ Harvey providing vocals and Masters of Reality’s Chris Goss on guitar. Eleven’s Alain Johannes, Afghan Whigs/Twilight Singers Greg Dulli, former band mates Nick Olivieri and Josh Holmes, Guns-n-Roses/Velvet Revolver members Izzy Straden and Duff McKagan, and members of Earthling?, and Enemy complete the line-up. But do not let the star-studded cast take you away from the subject at hand: Lanegan gives exceptional delivery throughout the entirety of the album with his signature deep, rumbling, soul-soaked vocals. Bubblegum is a blues-infused, rock and roll extravaganza. “When Your Number Is Up” gets the album off to a perfect start, with Lanegan singing the catchy line, “They left you this/To janitor the emptiness.” “Hit the City” and “Come To Me” feature the aforementioned vocal help from PJ Harvey, and the two sing like a melodious convergence of sex and power. “Methamphetamine Blues” breaks the slow steady crawl with a wicked laugh from Lanegan. It shares blues-dipped guitars with a head-swaying rhythm and ends in A Cappella. “Bombed” is a to the point, a 1:08 tune, and is a combination of sweet-and-sour, overlaying and delayed vocals. Other tunes I absolutely cannot get enough of are the totally sex-driven and very rock-n-roll “Sideways in Reverse,” the QOTSA-singed “Death Valley Blues,” and “Can’t Come Down,” which embraces emotions just as distorted as the violins. I absolutely love this album and was not disappointed by any portion of it. Bubblegum executes passionate guitars, sharp lyrics and Lanegan’s sexy, melodic vocals that are as original as it gets. This album punctuates Mark Lanegan’s long-running career as a true artist and now as an extraordinary solo artist. From Screaming Trees to QOTSA, Lanegan has showed he has the ability and the drive, and Bubblegum shows that he has the long-term staying power. [www.marklanegan.com]