Imitations (album)

Imitations
A cream background with a black picture frame border. Black bold text inside reads "Mark Lanegan Imitations".
Studio album by Mark Lanegan
Released September 17, 2013 (2013-09-17)
Recorded 2012
Length 41:20
Label Vagrant (US)
Heavenly Recordings (UK)
Producer Martin Feveyear
Mark Lanegan chronology
Black Pudding
(2013)		 Imitations
(2013)		 Phantom Radio
(2014)
Singles from Imitations
  1. "I'm Not the Loving Kind"
    Released: June 26, 2013

Imitations is the eighth studio album by the American alternative rock musician Mark Lanegan, released on September 17, 2013 on Vagrant Records and Heavenly Recordings. It is a collection of cover songs, consisting of songs from Lanegan's parents' music collection and contemporary musicians, including Chelsea Wolfe, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and The Twilight Singers.

Produced by Martin Feveyear, who had worked with Lanegan on his previous covers album, I'll Take Care of You (1999), the album was preceded by the single, "I'm Not the Loving Kind".

Background

Commenting on the decision to record a covers album, Mark Lanegan said: "when I was a kid in the late sixties and early seventies, my parents and their friends would play the records of Andy Williams, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, music with string arrangements and men singing songs that sounded sad whether they were or not. At home my folks were also listening to country music, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, George Jones and Vern Gosdin were some of our favorites. For a long time I've wanted to make a record that gave me the same feeling those old records did, using some of the same tunes I loved as a kid and some that I've loved as I have gotten older. This record is it."[1]

Release

Imitations was announced for release on June 26, 2013 through a press release on Lanegan's official website.[1] It is due to be released on September 17, 2013 on Vagrant Records, with whom he signed after the release of Blues Funeral (2012). The album's lead single, a cover of John Cale's "I'm Not the Loving Kind", was released on SoundCloud alongside the album's announcement.[2][3]

Lanegan is due to tour to support Imitations' release. A nine-date tour of European festivals is due to begin on July 12, 2013 at BBK Live in Bilbao, Spain and conclude on July 21 at Longitude Festival in Dublin, Ireland. Tour dates for the United States are planned for later in 2013, according to Imitations' press release.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(71/100)[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[6]
The Guardian[7]
NME(6/10)[8]
Pitchfork Media(6.6/10)[9]

Writing for Allmusic, Thom Jurek gave the album a positive review, stating: "Imitations is a fine collection that reveals the depth of the songs through the openness and considerable skill of the singer."[6] In a mostly positive review, The Guardian's Michael Hann wrote: "Imitations works best when Lanegan, his voice as dark and smoky as one of those old-fashioned gentlemen's clubs, tackles something so unexpected it forces you to reappraise the song: "You Only Live Twice", in particular, is a triumph, the grandeur and drama of the Bond replaced by a delicate weariness."[7]

In a mixed review for the NME, Jeremy Allan, wrote: "Up there with Cash's American series this is not. But 48-year-old Lanegan is a classy bastard, so he just about gets away with it."[8]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Artist Length
1. "Flatlands"  Chelsea WolfeChelsea Wolfe 3:58
2. "She's Gone"  Vern GosdinVern Gosdin 2:09
3. "Deepest Shade"  Greg DulliThe Twilight Singers 4:03
4. "You Only Live Twice"  Leslie Bricusse, John BarryNancy Sinatra 3:06
5. "Pretty Colors"  Al Gorgoni, Chip TaylorFrank Sinatra 2:43
6. "Brompton Oratory"  Nick CaveNick Cave and the Bad Seeds 4:15
7. "Solitaire"  Neil Sedaka, Phil CodyAndy Williams 4:55
8. "Mack the Knife"  Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht
(English lyric: Manheim-Willett)		Bobby Darin 3:08
9. "I'm Not the Loving Kind"  John CaleJohn Cale 3:08
10. "Lonely Street"  Carl Belew, Kenny Sowder, W. S. Stevenson Andy Williams 2:50
11. "Élégie Funèbre"  Gérard MansetGérard Manset 3:33
12. "Autumn Leaves"  Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert
(English lyric: Johnny Mercer)		Andy Williams 3:32

Personnel

  • Mark Lanegan - vocals
  • Mike Johnson - acoustic guitar (1, 4), electric guitar (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12)
  • Alain Johannes - cigfiddle (11), mellotron (11), acoustic guitar (11), ebo guitar (11)
  • Barrett Martin - vibraphone (2, 3, 5, 6), tambourine (2), drums (3, 6, 12), percussion (3, 12)
  • Bill Rieflin - drums (1, 5, 9), percussion (1, 5, 7), pump organ (6), mellotron (9)
  • Duff McKagan - bass (3, 6, 12)
  • Mark Pickerel - drums (2, 10)
  • Jeff Fielder - acoustic guitar (1, 2, 4), electric guitar (3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12)
  • Drew Church - bass (1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10)
  • Andrew Joslyn - violins (1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12) viola (1, 6)
  • Rebecca Filice - cello (1, 3, 7, 9, 12)
  • Mark Hoyt - backing vocals (2), acoustic guitar (8)
  • Billy Stover - piano (3, 6, 9, 12)
  • Jason Staczek - harpsichord (5)
  • Eric Padget - trumpet (6)
  • Tom Yoder - trombone (6)

References

  1. 1 2 "New Album Imitations Due Out September 17, "I'm Not the Loving Kind" Debuts Today". marklanegan.com. June 26, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  2. ↑ Breihan, Tom (June 26, 2013). "Mark Lanegan – "I'm Not the Loving Kind" (John Cale Cover)". Stereogum. Spin Media. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  3. ↑ "I'm Not the Loving Kind by MarkLanegan". SoundCloud. June 26, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  4. ↑ "ML: Imitations press release – Mark Lanegan" (PDF). Vagrant Records. June 26, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Imitations Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Thom Jurek. "Imitations - Mark Lanegan - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". Allmusic. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Michael Hann. "Mark Lanegan: Imitations". The Guardian. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Jeremy Allan. "Mark Lanegan 'Imitations'". NME. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  9. ↑ Heller, Jason (19 September 2013). "Imitations Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 28 January 2016.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.