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Amazon.co.uk Review
For his second solo album, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, Mark Lanegan, the former singer for the Screaming Trees, decided to go wider and deeper. The arrangements are mostly acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drums, but the subtle addition of violin and saxophone on select cuts makes for greater variance and gives the album a rich, epic scope. As always, Lanegan sees the glass as neither half-empty or half-full, just dirty. "Borracho" reaches a cathartic wall of shrieking feedback, but mostly Lanegan tunes down for the ambulatory emissions and Seattle blues of "Shooting Gallery", "Judas Touch" and "Kingdoms of Rain". --Rob O'Connor
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I remember buying this album shortly after buying his'Winding Sheet' during the height of the grunge evolution from a small store in the backstreets of Soho. I guess setting the scene is important in reliving the memories. It captivated me from the beginning. His voice had always been a favourite since the days with 'screaming trees', but only on the solo albums do we hear the pure unadulterated haunting and tortured undertones. Exemplified in songs such as 'Riding the Nightingale' and 'Kingdoms of Rain'; he incorporates biblical themes and intervenes them in a spiritual landscape, where the shores of hope are dashed by the waves of inimical pain and unrequited love. When he sings 'I'm going to cry' no-one meant it more. I've read him stating that this album was created in the midst of his battle with heroin and it's clearly evident in both its dark and psychedellic themes. Most of the music is choreographed by Mike Johnson with Mike Agnello adding to the the folk apects of this album with his violin musings. I cannot get away from this album, the songs are timeless and sear into every chamber of my heart, if there was an album that changed my life this would be it.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is not just Mark Lanegan's finest solo album, it's his most beautifully evocative work to date.
As has been previously mentioned, there will always be a certain popular feeling summoned up by listening to Lanegan's whiskey-weary, "just-give-me-somewhere-to-sit-down-and-smoke" vocals, which could lend itself to an artist resting on his or her laurels and allowing themselves to become a one-trick-pony who's bound to sell, as is the case with such acts as Motorhead (these days).
As it stands, Mark's songcraft has developed leaps and bounds since his instrumentally-sparse debut "The Winding Sheet", while retaining its lyrical intensity. It is in essence the next logical step: there are some actual just heart-achingly beautiful arrangements displayed in songs such as 'Kingdoms of Rain': a funeral procession of a song, where the vocals are harmonised by an organ to incredible effect. 'Borracho' - literally, "drunk" in Spanish, builds up a storm of swirling, angular rhythm guitar until you DO feel drunk, and the desert really does turn to ocean over you, you can FEEL it. 'Carnival' is possibly my favourite song of all time, and not far behind is 'Sunrise': it will move you intensely to listen to this song when no one is up yet, you've poured a glass of wine for yourself and the most important thing in the world is how the light shining in from behind the blinds is falling across your face, and when the saxophone filters in, a moment of complete musical perfection is achieved.
Also, it is completely recommended that you purchase this if you've heard the Soulsaver's cover of 'Kingdoms of Rain' with Mark Lanegan on vocals. That, and this, is soul music at its best.
As has been previously mentioned, there will always be a certain popular feeling summoned up by listening to Lanegan's whiskey-weary, "just-give-me-somewhere-to-sit-down-and-smoke" vocals, which could lend itself to an artist resting on his or her laurels and allowing themselves to become a one-trick-pony who's bound to sell, as is the case with such acts as Motorhead (these days).
As it stands, Mark's songcraft has developed leaps and bounds since his instrumentally-sparse debut "The Winding Sheet", while retaining its lyrical intensity. It is in essence the next logical step: there are some actual just heart-achingly beautiful arrangements displayed in songs such as 'Kingdoms of Rain': a funeral procession of a song, where the vocals are harmonised by an organ to incredible effect. 'Borracho' - literally, "drunk" in Spanish, builds up a storm of swirling, angular rhythm guitar until you DO feel drunk, and the desert really does turn to ocean over you, you can FEEL it. 'Carnival' is possibly my favourite song of all time, and not far behind is 'Sunrise': it will move you intensely to listen to this song when no one is up yet, you've poured a glass of wine for yourself and the most important thing in the world is how the light shining in from behind the blinds is falling across your face, and when the saxophone filters in, a moment of complete musical perfection is achieved.
Also, it is completely recommended that you purchase this if you've heard the Soulsaver's cover of 'Kingdoms of Rain' with Mark Lanegan on vocals. That, and this, is soul music at its best.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
'Whiskey for the Holy Ghost' is the brilliant follow-up to Lanegan's solo debut, 'The Winding Sheet'...It begins with some whistling and Mike Johnson's take on Morricone-territory with 'The River Rise'- a dark-country lull with minimal drums by Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis. This will be popular with anyone who likes Giant Sand or The Handsome Family- though it is delivered in Lanegan's distinctive croak. 'Borracho' ups the tempo, Lanegan howling over a drum-roll provided by Mudhoney's Dan Peters. Johnson and Lanegan cook up an electric guitar maelstrom, as lyrically Lanegan continues his love affair with Mexican/Spanish imagery ('Juarez', 'El Sol')...'House a Home' was a single and is an example of a more-approachable Lanegan that tracks such as 'Stay', 'Don't Forget About Me' and 'Mockingbirds' personify.'House a Home' is not a million miles away from the sound of REM's 'Automatic For The People' (itself influenced by Lanegan's 'The Winding Sheet'). 'Kingdoms of Rain' is another dark number- Lanegan's voice accommpanied by acoustic guitar & organ and Sloan Johnson's backing vocals (evoking some wonderful harmonies). 'Carnival' is the highlight of the album- as good as anything by The Band- a magical lyric accompanies an alt-country backing (the violin emanates from the space between The Band and Michael Nyman)'Riding the Nightingale' is a relative of 'Wild Flowers' and uses the female backing vocals to great effect (and Tad Doyle guests on percussion). 'El Sol' is another stoned-acoustic number:a gothic-Burrito Brothers?; 'Dead On You' has an atmospheric minamilism that fans of Gillian Welch and The walkabouts will appreciate. 'Shooting Gallery' reminds me of 'Led Zeppelin III'- though obviously with a darker-undercurrent: "I'll see you in another hallway/some other time". 'Sunrise' is another highlight, moving from a Harry Smith Folk Anthology closeness to a fusion of female backing vocals and heartwarming saxophone. 'Pendulum' is a concise song regarding the passage of time and existential doubt. 'Judas Touch' functions as 'Juarez' did on the first album; imagine Nick Cave with soul. 'Beggar's Blues' ends the album with a fusion of stoned-bluesgrass, ex-Screaming Trees drummer Mark Pickerel adds to the building sound: "You'll forget me when you're gone".
'Whiskey for the Holy Ghost' is one of those classic dark albums- the Whiskey, cigarettes and Bible on the cover are the perfect accompaniements. For those who like dark, tuenful songs and alt-country/new-west artists like Wagon or Rainer there is a lot here that will be most welcome. Excepting the average-'Uncle Anesthesia' (let down by poor production/mixing)everything that Mark Lanegan has appeared on in Screaming Trees or as a solo-artist (not forgetting QOTSA 'In The Fade) has been classic. This album merely confirms that; Lanegan's second solo masterpiece.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Pretty good, but he's done better
Mark Lanegan's gorgeous cracked purr of a voice against a suitably moody backing will ALWAYS stir the soul, but this perfectly acceptable album lacks the songcraft to really land a... Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2002 by kit7635
superb
just superb, you can almost smell the cigerette smoke with this step back into the early days of subpop. Read more
Published on 18 April 2002
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