Wandering Eyes

Angela Desveaux is the sort of artist blessed with the talent and maturity to make a debut album that suggests she's been making music for years, which is hardly the case given Desveaux's youth. While Desveaux's first album, Wandering Eyes, is in many respects a simple affair, it's crafted with intelligence and care; Desveaux's vocals are rich and expertly modulated without sounding forced or theatrical, and she's able to communicate wealth of emotion with simple gestures. Meanwhile, the arrangements allow each instrument plenty of room without tripping over one another, especially on the moody "If Only" and "Make Up Your Mind" or the gently emphatic "Sick of Fools," and Brian Paulson's fine production and engineering are reminiscent of his superb work on Son Volt's first album. Desveaux has cited Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams as key influences, and one can hear traces of each in her performances, but she's managed to find a middle ground between them that she can call her own, and the sweet sadness and lonely ache in her finest moments leave no doubt she has the goods to become a top-rank vocalist in her own right. As a songwriter, Desveaux has a bit farther to go — most of the songs on Wandering Eyes are quite good, but there's a familiarity to her stories of love that's not as impressive as her skills as a vocalist. But this is still an impressive debut that's full of heart, soul, and fine music, and it's hard not to imagine that Angela Desveaux has a long and worthy career ahead of her.