Somebody's Knocking

From the opening bars it's clear that Mark Lanegan's outstanding 11th solo album, Somebody's Knocking, was made by someone deeply obsessed with how music - with all its primal, spiritual healing power - truly penetrates the soul. As a result, there's joy in the music, as if created from a perfect set of inspirations smashed and grabbed from God's own record shop. From the Raw Power-esque garage metal grind of ''Disbelief Suspension'' to ''Letter Never Sent's'' rocket-powered take on Love-era kaleidoscope-psych, through the pensive subterranean murk of ''Dark Disco Jag'' and on to ''Playing Nero's'' sun-bleached riff on Joy Division's ''Atmosphere'', there's the glee of infatuation running deep in the tracks. This album is less the tale of a brooding, crepuscular rock'n'roll veteran and more that of someone consumed by a lifelong love of words and sound fused together.