- What with all the different collaborations Mark Lanegan engages in - there's the rather sinister Gutter Twins with Greg Dulli; the sweet, tired and old timey records with Isobelle Campbell; there's also the inumerable guest appearances with The Twilight Singers, Soulsavers and UNKLE, among others - it's not really suprising he hasn't put out a record featuring just him since all the way back in 2004. Actually, even that record, Bubblegum, was hardly a solo record, with a different, prestigious guest - PJ Harvey, Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri, Greg Dulli, Dean Ween, Duff McKagan and Izzy Stradlin, on just about every track. Blues Funeral is only marginally more restrained, The Mark Lanegan Band comprises Jack Irons and Johannes and the record features appearances by Greg Dulli and Josh Homme. Enough about the guest list though, what kind of record do we get? The Gravedigger's Song is a bravura opening and one that's a bit misleading. The heavily distorted guitar groove meshes perfectly with Lanegan's equally rough voice as he rasps out 'With Piranha teeth / I've been dreamin' of you', yikes! Unfortunately I felt a little bit let down by the long winded lament of Bleeding Muddy Water which is mired in the blues, but doesn't express them with great conviction; take that over 6 minutes and I was well-ready for something different. Something different you do indeed get, I think the first hint of it may be in the spiritual dirge of St. Louis Elegy which for my money does what Bleeding Muddy Water tries to do, quite a bit more effectively. The eye-opener on that track, however, is the very obvious drum machine banging away in the background. The rather enormous rocker Riot In My House might try and fool you - and it's quite damn catchy while it's doing it - but Mark has obviously been taking notes while hanging out in the recording studio with Soulsavers and James Lavelle because the next thing you get is... a banging house beat! Ode To Sad Disco pairs that with Lanegan's wreckage of a voice and you get something like dark new wave, and who can say whether it's inspired or horrible or frickin' both! There are other surprises like the loopy psychedelia and Beatlesesque vocal harmony of Leviathan and more doses of electronic dance-rock (Harborview Hospital and Tiny Grain Of Truth) which are thankfully balanced up by more big rocking numbers like Quiver Syndrome and dark country-folkers like Deep Black Vanishing Train. Blues Funeral is a wide-ranging record that is not even a bit afraid to take listeners to places that are so far from the traditional Mark Lanegan sound as to be jaw dropping. When my mouth comes back together with a sharp 'click' I'm not sure whether I'm gonna be amazed or appalled, or both, again.

- Chris Cobcroft.