Angela Desveaux Issue #37

The Mighty Ship (Thrill Jockey)

By Christine Werthman
Published: September 1st, 2008 | 5:46pm

It’s a cold, cruel world out there, and nothing serves as a better reminder of this than good old-fashioned, classic country music. Dolly Parton’s man stealers, Loretta Lynn’s hard-won tales, Hank Williams’ unfaithful lovers: It’s from this pool of country crooners that Angela Desveaux’s style sprung.

Desveaux leans more indie alt-country than southern twang but her fondness for pedal steel, writing sad songs, and telling stories roots her in the traditions of her early influences. Her sophomore album, The Mighty Ship, lets in a larger portion of bright California-style rock but stays true to the country hammering and simple writing style that make Desveaux’s music solid if not standout.

Desveaux introduces the album with the ambient, floating opener “Other Side.” Her vocal is breathy, youthful, and contains the casual cool predated by Lucinda Williams. “Mighty Ship” is the most country-inflected of the tunes, showing off Desveaux’s ability to paint a scene, this one being of the sinking of the Titanic. The song throws horns into the mix, which are smoth among the twanging sounds in this country waltz.

One of Desveaux’s biggest strengths is her ability to keep her instrumentation basic without feeling barebones. The simplicity spills into her lyrical work, which is consistently poignant without sounding forced. On “The Way You Stay,” the chorus of “What do you want me to do for you? / What do you need me for?” has a basic, fundamental appeal that hits the point hard without being excessive in its wording. Desveaux never goes overboard with her words or her sounds on this album. She has a strong understanding of when a song has just enough of something and a knack for self-editing.

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