Pop Music : Record Rack : In Brief : *** Mark Lanegan, “I’ll Take Care of You,” Sub Pop.

Taking a break from the depressive personal soul-searching of his three previous solo efforts, the Screaming Trees frontman gets bleak with material by his influences, including Buck Owens, gospel-R&B; singer O.V. Wright and L.A.’s the Leaving Trains. With understated melancholy in his resonant purr, and accompaniment ranging from Mike Johnson’s acoustic guitar to a full band, Lanegan infuses each selection with a bluesy sense of quiet desperation.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.