Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan get in a nice one-two punch with their reworking of Hank’s “Ramblin’ Man.” The song dips into Tom Waits territory, with a whiplash slapping down through the song, literalizing the demand placed upon a supposedly free man to take to the road because God made him a wanderer. However, if the good Lord’s whip sends him out onto the road, then Isobel Campbell plays devil’s advocate, whispering seductively in his ear about how she’s back at home “cooking up a storm” and missing her man.
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Ramblin’ Man [buy]
But, mercy, the sheer weight of Hank’s version! God may have put him out on that lost highway, but it sounds to me like hell hounds are on his trail. If this is freedom, doom shadows it unto the grave.
Luke the Drifter - Ramblin’ Man [buy]
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