Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan — Ballad Of The Broken Seas

In the tradition of Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra (or Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock), Belle And Sebastian chanteuse Isobel Campbell and ex-grunger Mark Lanegan combine their respectively sweet and salty voices with surprising success. While the uniqueness of each collaborator's voice and the album's southwestern atmospherics drift into kitsch territory at times, Broken Seas is hauntingly compelling. Beyond the novelty factor is a series of excellent songs, with great diversity shown by Campbell, who hasn't particularly been known for this kind of sly sexiness. Sad and playful at the same time, Campbell and Lanegan may come from different musical worlds, but they sound right at home in each other's arms.