Recorded at Jupiter Studios and Robert Lang Studios, Seattle, Washington, and Pim Studios and Sound City, Los Angeles, California.

Personnel: Mark Lanegan (vocals, guitar); Ben Shepherd (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, piano); John Agnello, Martin Feveyear (vocals, recorder); Chris Goss (vocals, synthesizer); Mark Hoyt (vocals); Mike Johnson (guitar, background vocals); Allen Davis, Brett Netson (acoustic guitar); Keni Richards (piano, Mellotron, drums); Marek (piano); Duff McKagan (Fender Rhodes piano, drums); Bill Rieflin (drums).

Audio Mixers: John Agnello; Martin Feveyear.

Recording information: Jupiter Studios, Seattle, WA; Pimp, Los Angeles, CA; Robert Lang Studios, Seattle, WA; Sound City, Los Angeles, CA.

Photographer: Chris Strother.

As leader of the Screaming Trees, Mark Lanegan helped introduce the mainstream to the Seattle sound known somewhat dubiously as grunge. His rough vocal stylings fit perfectly with his band's swirling hard rock attack. As a solo artist, however, Lanegan took a much different approach, playing the part of the modern-day blues wanderer. FIELD SONGS, released in 2001, is an intense collection of blues and folk-flecked guitar numbers augmented by touches of atmospheric noise and occasionally more elaborate production and arrangements. Lanegan's tales of desperation, loneliness, and loss feel both intimate and vast, and show the singer-songwriter to be much more than what the 1990s hype machine might lead one to believe.

Those looking for some stylistic shifts in Mark Lanegan's fifth solo outing might be a bit disappointed. Lanegan pours out blues- and gospel-tinged country-rock over ice and sips it for 42 and a half minutes -- and that's precisely what he's been up to since 1990's The Winding Sheet. Why the heck not? He's damn good at it, and he proves it here on Field Songs. Some new things are abreast on this record as Ben Shepherd (Soundgarden) is present on most tracks lending his guitar and bass hands. Also present are Bill Rieflin (KMFDM, Lard, Ministry, etc.) and Duff McKagen (Guns N' Roses) who each play on one track and are a part of Lanegan's touring band along with Shepherd. Mike Johnson (Dinosaur Jr.) has been on each of Lanegan's albums and continues to add much of the building blocks and the mortar necessary to pluck out these songs that are constructed much in the same vein as in the past but with some nuances and a greater color depth. Upon repeated listens, standout tracks such as "Miracle," "Kimiko's Dream House," and "Fix" become infectiously memorable as convincing tales about love gained and lost. All in all, every track is solid and worthy of numerous spins. ~ Jack LV Isles