I'll Take Care of You

While Mark Lanegan served well as the singer for the Screaming Trees, he has always sounded most in his element on his solo releases. I'll Take Care of You, his fourth studio release, is a collection of covers that remove any doubt one might have had concerning his musical influences. From Bobby "Blue" Bland's title track to the tortured folk of Tim Hardin ("Shiloh Town") and Fred Neil ("Badi- Da"), Lanegan adds gravity to everything he touches. But he isn't limited to the folk and blues one might expect. Modern punk rockers influenced by the blues, such as the Gun Club's Jeffrey Lee Pierce ("Carry Home") and the Leaving Trains' Falling James Moreland ("Creeping Coastline of Lights"), are also saluted. O.V. Wright's "On Jesus' Program" features one of Lanegan's strongest vocal performances, while the traditional "Little Sadie" and Buck Owens' "Together Again" expand Lanegan's artistic reach to the breaking point where he's at his best, as his deeply emotive voice only benefits from his leaving his perceived comfort zone.