SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #145 : ISOBEL CAMPBELL

Edited from wiki:-

Isobel Campbell (born 27 April 1976) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, cellist and composer. Campbell rose to prominence at age nineteen as a member of the Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, but left the group to pursue a solo career, first as The Gentle Waves, and later under her own name. She later collaborated with singer Mark Lanegan on three albums.

Campbell’s music has been described as either indie pop, chamber pop or singer-songwriter. Regardless of genre, Campbell makes gentle and sombre music, often using classical instruments and her bright, slightly nasal voice with bittersweet and ironic songwriting.

In 1999, Campbell released her first solo album, The Green Fields of Foreverland, on the same label as Belle & Sebastian, Jeepster Records, under the name The Gentle Waves. The follow-up to The Green Fields of Foreverland would become Swansong for You released on 6 November 2000. This album would be the last release by Campbell as The Gentle Waves.

In 2002, she collaborated with Scottish jazz musician Bill Wells on Ghost of Yesterday, a collection of Billie Holiday songs released by Creeping Bent. In 2003, Campbell released Amorino, her first solo album under her own name. Bill Wells was featured here again, along with other jazz musicians.

Her fourth studio album was released on 23 October 2006 entitled Milkwhite Sheets. It brings traditional songs from United Kingdom and songs written by Campbell. Campbell has stated that album was inspired by the works of Jean Ritchie, Anne Briggs and Shirley Collins.

In April 2004, Campell released an EP with former Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age singer Mark Lanegan, titled Time Is Just the Same. They would later release a single entitled “Ramblin’ Man” for their collaboration album Ballad of the Broken Seas. Campbell wrote and recorded the majority of the album’s tracks in Glasgow, with Lanegan adding vocals in Los Angeles. The album was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Prize.

In 2007, the duo recorded a second album together, entitled Sunday at Devil Dirt, which was released on 5 May 2008. Three singles from the album were released: “Who Built the Road”(7”), “Come On Over (Turn Me On)” (7″) and “Keep me in mind sweetheart”(Cd, 12”). The five new tracks of the “Keep me in mind sweetheart” EP were later added as bonus tracks to Sunday at Devil Dirt.

A third collaborative album with Lanegan was released on 16 August 2010 entitled Hawk. The pair toured to promote the album, including a set at All Tomorrow’s Parties, 10–12 December 2010 curated by Belle & Sebastian. In July 2013, it was announced that Campbell and Lanegan had officially ended their musical partnership.

I’ve pulled out the lead track from The 2004 EP, Time Is Just The Same, was the first of her collaborations with Mark Lanegan in that they co-wrote one of the tracks and he sang on it, but most of the other songs were her own material, including the lead track, in which the vocals are shared with Eugene Kelly from The Vaselines, with the result being a sort of Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazelwood style country duet:-

mp3 : Isobel Campbell – Time Is Just The Same

JC

3 thoughts on “SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #145 : ISOBEL CAMPBELL

  1. First time I saw her live promoting the Ballad of The Broken Sees album, Kelly was filing in for Lanegan and did a reasonably good job. They performed Son of A Gun that night which was great.
    Why Does My Head Hurt So is the track on this ep for me and a taste of the delights to come. A good cover of Bang Bang too.

  2. First time I saw her live promoting the Ballad of The Broken Sees album, Kelly was filing in for Lanegan and did a reasonably good job. They performed Son of A Gun that night which was great.
    Why Does My Head Hurt So is the track on this ep for me and a taste of the delights to come. A good cover of Bang Bang too.

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