Cheap I'll Take Care Of You (Music) (Mark Lanegan) Price

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Customer Reviews of I'll Take Care Of You

Lanegan Takes Care Of Us.
Another fine album from Mark Lanegan. The material is not his own, but he invests each song with all the emotion we have come to expect from him. The album is not quite as intense as his original stuff. It does not have the feeling of grim acceptance of fate that the earlier releases had, but Lanegan's voice is still the best in music today. My particular favorites are Shiloh Town, Little Sadie and Shanty Man's Life. These songs have so much mood and atmosphere and a sense of the past. I wish all the songs were in this vein. My dream is for Mark to record an album of gunfighter ballads, like Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash did in the early '60s. I see Mark Lanegan as the Johnny Cash of the new milennium.

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A Flicker at the End of the Tunnel
Throughout his four albums, Mark Lanegan has proved to be the kind of singer that connects with certain people very deeply. And just about any album he turns out is recommendable to those that find his voice as enchanting as I. Aside from hearing his versions of these songs, there really is no reason to recommend this album to anyone that has problems with his first three solo records or feels he's betraying his earlier work with the Screaming Trees. But on the latter point, there is evidence to suggest that the Trees were maturing along Lanegan's current bluesy bent, though perhaps they might have painted the musical landscapes less sparely.

But in the end, Lanegan's vision was intensely personal and too deep to have to deal with the confining arrangement of a band. When the history of the Seattle scene is finally written and we can look back on it all more clearly, Mark Lanegan may be seen as its most remarkable individual talent. As he continues his relationship with the Sub Pop label, he'll no doubt begin to move in more creative directions, but this album is a challenging step for him to take. I was at times on the edge of my seat almost expecting him to screw up, but alas he has proven his greatness whether you like him or not.

As he applies his unique instrument to these sensitively chosen covers, he manages to redefine them in subtle ways here and there - but nothing too unexpected. Again, it is the choice of these songs themselves more than the thoughtful treatment he gives them that is most startling. "Consider Me," would be the last thing you'd expect him to attempt, but after hearing it you come away with a different impression. He is soulfully bluesy and at times makes one think of Sam Cooke's "Night Beat." "Little Sadie" is an old folksong that could have easily come off like an absurd anachronism in other hands, but Lanegan really eats it up with a totally convincing streaming narrative, recasting it as a timeless allegory.

Lanegan's voice may not get much smoother than this, but I can't help thinking of a latter Billie Holiday and the rawness that both wax eloquently with. I have come to consider Lanegan the best blues singer of his generation. Starting off his solo career I felt he was simply reacting against his earlier angier incarnation with mellower maturity, but obviously it was less a reaction to anything as it was existential identification on his part -- what he does now can't be traded in for anything, and history tells us that stubbornly honest artists like Lanegan have tragically littered worse highways than commercial dissaster.

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Solid Album, But Not A Good Introduction
I'll Take Care You Is another top-notch record by Mark Lanegan, but it's not his best. Every tune on here is a cover song, a tribute to artists who influenced him, I suppose. As usual, Lanegan's liner notes are skimpy. The tunes range from Buck Owens country to Brook Benton R&B, but all are inflected with Mark's own minimalistic, brooding style to one degree or another.
There's not a single song to skip on this album, but some stand out more than others. The dark "Little Sadie" is a haunting song that's catchy enough to stay in your head for a while. The opening track, "Carry Home" is a Gun Club cover (no joke) performed only Mark singing and Mike Johnson accompanying on acoustic guitar, and it's a real gem. There's a few surprises, too. "Badi-Da" is unlike anything else on a Lanegan album; it's not quite sugar-coated, but it's more upbeat than almost anything in Mark's repitoire.
As I've already said, this is a good album, but if you're new to Mark Lanegan, I would suggest the fantastic Whiskey For The Holy Ghost or his latest (and greatest) record Field Songs over this one.