Campbell, a former cellist and singer with Scottish band Belle &
Sebastian, wrote, arranged and produced this album. There’s a romantic
and dramatic effect to Campbell’s high, haunting voice harmonizing with
Lanegan’s low rumble (heard on solo material and via an off/on gig
fronting Queens of the Stone Age). The songwriting on Sunday at
Devil Dirt is barfly-poetic and the music the figurative
strong-silent type. The album lacks the originality of a similar
collaboration: Allison Krauss and Robert Plant’s Raising Sand.
In fact, the closeness to latter day Leonard Cohen (“The Raven”) and
others ends up taking away from the overall impact. Sean Flinn
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2009.