Mark Lanegan: Imitations

Screaming Tree, Gutter Twin, Queen of the Stone Age: Mark Lanegan has been around the block in his 48 years, so we'll forgive the fact that his eighth solo record is all covers. A tracklisting informed by his own favourite music as well as his parents means the inclusion of songs as recent as this year's Flatlands by Chelsea Wolfe. But it's the older tunes that ring most true. Highlights include a superb string-laden take on Andy Williams's Solitaire and a brilliant Bacharach-esque arrangement of John Cale's I'm Not the Loving Kind, while Nick Cave's Brompton Oratory is turned into a beautiful, full-bodied jazz lounge tune. No matter the genre, the singer generally proves himself a wonderful interpreter of other peoples' songs, revelling in nostalgia without becoming lost in its vapour. marklanegan.com
Download: Brompton Oratory, I'm Not the Loving Kind