Angela Desveaux & The Mighty Ship - Angela Desveaux and the Mighty Ship (Album)
For a musical genre that’s often disregarded by a majority of the population, country music has created its fair share of icons. There’s Johnny Cash, whose stogy sense of morality and affection for the incarcerated make him an icon, or Willie Nelson, the white Snoop Dogg (or is Snoop Dogg the black Willie Nelson?) Although their not making as much music today, their contributions are still remember- in fact, it’s almost a rite of passage for a young emerging star to have a ‘the next whoever’ moniker attached to them.
It’s exactly the same with the females- probably worse, since women like Emmeylou Harris are even more iconic and distinctive.When you’re a woman in country music, it’s almost inevitable that you’re going to be compared to some of the big names (and in the case of Dolly Parton, big, um…), and Ms Desveaux doesn’t do herself any favours by featuring all of these names on the front cover of her album). Although the shoes she’s trying to fill are a little too big, there are certainly whispers of something special coming from her eponymous debut.
Unlike the country sweethearts of old, Desveaux writes her own material. While it’s admirable (and in some cases enjoyable), but much of her work blends together into a seamless mess of confusion and faux-anger. Where’s older generations starts were free to pick and choose the best material from a wide range of singers (as well as write their own) Desveauxs' songwriting means she is pidgeonholed. She’s by no means bad- it’s more that her subject area is a little narrow, and there's only so much 'my man doesn't understand me' you can listen to. Still, she’s only a clever turn of phrase and a change of subject matter away from being an interesting lyricist.
Her more contemporary musical sensibilities also beg comparison to modern female balladeers like Neko Case and Jenny Lewis. But again, the comparisons are wanting, Desveaux lacks their lyrical and vocal stout, as well their flair for experimentation. This puts Desveaux in an awkward position. Sitting somewhere between the never predictable contemporary Alt-Country and formulaic the classic artists of yesteryear, she doesn’t quite do enough to fit easily into one or the other. She’s too traditional to be an indie darling, and she doesn’t have the voice to sound like a Grand Ol Opry transplant.
Still, the most enjoyable moments are those where she ignores traditional country thinking. The muffled power chords and 90’s alt rock chorus of Shape You is an album maker, and the laboured strumming and out of place bongo gives Red Alert a contemporary sound. The traditional country sound also has its moments- the sparkling lead guitar of The Way You Stay reeks of 1970’s AM goodness, while Mightly Ship’s heartbreak is the closest Desveaux comes to capturing a truly classic sound.
