Mark Lanegan Whiskey For The Holy Ghost CD

On his second solo outing, 1994's WHISKEY FOR THE HOLY GHOST, Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan unveils a set of tunes that is more dynamic and cohesive than his spare, brooding debut, THE WINDING SHEET. Once again collaborating with multi-instrumentalist Mike Johnson, among others, Lanegan uses his deep, gravelly voice to maximum effect on these wonderful songs of woe, which include the hypnotic, David Lynchian "The River Rise" and the dark, pastoral "Kingdoms of Rain." Arguably Lanegan's best solo album, THE HOLY GHOST predicted that the perpetually melancholy Pacific Northwestern performer would be just fine on his own when Screaming Trees eventually split.

Recorded at Ironwood, Reciprocal, and Steve Lawson Studios, Seattle, Washington; Messina Music, New York, New York.

Personnel: Mark Lanegan (electric guitar); Mike Johnson (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, piano, organ, background vocals); Dave Kreuger (violin); Frank Cody (piano, organ); Ted Trewhella (piano); Justin Williams (organ); Phil Sparks (upright bass); Tad Doyle (drums, snare drum); Dan Peters, J Mascis, Mark Pickerel (drums); Sally Barry, Krisha Augerot (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: John Agnello.

Recording information: Ironwood; Messina Music, New York, NY; Reciprocal; Steve Lawson Studios, Seattle, WA.

Photographers: Michael Lavine; Arthur S. Aubry.

Arrangers: Mark Lanegan; Mike Johnson .

Personnel: Mark Lanegan (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars); Mike Johnson (acoustic, electric & slide guitars, harmonica, piano, organ, bass, background vocals); Dave Kreuger (violin); Mike Stinette (saxophone); Frank Cody (piano, organ); Teddy Trewhella (piano); Justin Williams (organ); Phil Sparks (acoustic bass); Kurt Fedora, Jack Endino (bass); Tad Doyle (drums, percussion); J Mascis, Dan Peters, Mark Pickerel (drums); Sloan Johnson, Krisha Augerot, Sally Barry (background vocals).

Engineers: Jack Endino, Ed Brooks, Terry Date.

Q (8/01, p.150) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Lanegan had found his niche....scratching a deep-seated existential itch, mustering tragi-comic bleakness normally the sole province of Johnny Cash."
Magnet (p.114) - "'Kingdoms Of Rain' and 'Riding The Nightingale' are laced with the sort of Catholic guilt and survivor's wisdom that point to Lanegan's Yoda-like future status as the last of his track-scarred peer group to live to tell the tale."
Option (8/94, p.109) - "...This is grunge's soft underbelly, the land where trance meets folk and boys are sensitive, strong and extremely well-connected...Lanegan isn't afraid to go fast, but follows his rants with dusky ballads..."
Melody Maker (1/29/94, p.32) - "...Brilliant...a monument to morbid, magnificent self-absorption...a dense but intensely moving piece of work..."
Musician (3/94, p.87) - "...this isn't a `Seattle' album, at least in the obvious sense. What we find on WHISKEY FOR THE HOLY GHOST is the dreamscape version of that world...Lanegan is perfect in the role of tortured obsessive, locked in a world of uncomfortable urges..."
NME (Magazine) (2/5/94, p.39) - 7 - Very Good - "...Inhabiting an instrumental landscape more sparsely populated than Greenland, sparked by low-riding acoustic guitars, glowering organ and a blackboard-scraping violin, WHISKEY is nothing less than a vocal tour de force..."