''Field Songs'' is the fifth solo album by

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the St ...

, released in 2001 on the

Beggars Banquet ''Beggars Banquet'' is the 7th British and 9th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It was the first Ro ...

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

Recording

The two largest instrumental contributors are Mike Johnson and

Ben Shepherd Hunter Benedict Shepherd (born September 20, 1968) is an American musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Soundgarden from 1990 to 2019. Shepherd has won two Grammy Awards as a member of Soundgarden. Early life Shepherd was bor ...

, the latter co-writing "Blues for D" with the singer. The album also features

Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...

Velvet Revolver Velvet Revolver was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of Guns N' Roses members Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass, backing vocals) and Matt Sorum (drums, backing vocals), alongside Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar) formerly of punk b ...

and

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

as well as Lanegan's ex-wife,

Wendy Rae Fowler Wendy Rae Fowler is an American singer and half of the experimental English rock band We Fell to Earth. Career In fall of 1998, Fowler joined Earthlings? as second bassist. Immediately following, Earthlings? supported Queens of the Stone Age ...

Chris Goss Christopher Ryan Goss (born August 17, 1958) is an American record producer and musician. Best known for producing records for Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, he is regarded as an important figure in the development of stoner rock and deser ...

sings on "She Done too Much." The album represents a departure of sorts for the singer. While retaining the acoustic atmosphere of his previous solo efforts, ''Field Songs'' incorporates Middle Eastern influences ("No Easy Action") as well as experimental musical landscapes ("Miracle," "Blues for D") which elicited comparisons from critics to

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

. Lanegan's gravelly, gin-soaked vocals on "Don't Forget Me" and "Fix" is balanced out by his delicate delivery featured on "Kimiko's Dream House" and "Pill Hill Serenade." In his 2017 book ''I Am the Wolf: Lyrics and Writings'', Lanegan says of ''Field Songs'':

Reception

AllMusic's Sam Samuelson writes, "Upon repeated listens, standout tracks such as 'Miracle,' 'Kimiko's Dream House,' and 'Fix' become infectiously memorable as convincing tales about love gained and lost. All in all, every track is solid and worthy of numerous spins."

Track listing

Personnel

*Mark Lanegan - guitar, vocals *John Agnello - recorder, vocals, mastering, mixing (3, 5, 7, 12) *Mark Boquist - drums (2 - 5, 8) *Allen Davis - acoustic guitar (12), bass (10, 12) *

Martin Feveyear Martin John Feveyear born late '66 is a British record producer and audio engineer based in Seattle, Washington. Beginning as a singer-songwriter and musician, Feveyear soon began recording work for artists in both the UK and US before moving to ...

- Hammond organ (4, 9, 10), recorder, vocals (6), mastering, mixing (1, 2, 4, 6, 8 - 11) *

- synthesizer (11), vocals (11) *Mark Hoyt - vocals (9) * Mike Johnson - acoustic guitar (1 - 3, 5 - 9, 11), electric guitar (1 - 7, 12), Wurlitzer organ (2), piano (7), backing vocals *Marek - piano (1) *

- drums (12), Fender Rhodes (12) *

- vocals (2) *Brett Netson - acoustic guitar (12) *Keni Richards - piano (5), drums (4, 6), mellotron (2) *

Bill Rieflin William Frederick Rieflin (September 30, 1960 – March 24, 2020) was an American musician. Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s mainly for his work as a drummer with groups (particularly in the industrial rock and industrial metal scene ...

- drums (1) *

- acoustic guitar (1, 9, 10), electric guitar (1, 2, 4, 6 - 8, 10), bass (tracks: 1 - 6, 8, 9, 11), lap steel guitar (2), vocals (6), piano (10) *Chris Strother - photography

References

{{Authority control 2001 albums Mark Lanegan albums Beggars Banquet Records albums Albums produced by Martin Feveyear Albums recorded at Robert Lang Studios Albums recorded at Sound City Studios