Angela Desveaux Has Mighty New Record

Montreal-via-Cape Breton singer/songwriter Angela Desveaux has come a long way from being a familiar face within the small, dedicated Montreal bluegrass community. Her sophomore release, The Mighty Ship, is her most rocking effort yet, even if there are hints of country and folk music throughout it.

"This new album is about me being more on my own, making my own decisions," says the 31-year-old Acadian who was born in Montreal, but spent her formative years being immersed in country and Celtic music in Cape Breton, N.S. "There are more textures and arrangements here that are different and straying from the typical country song."

Desveaux's first record, the Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire)-produced Wandering Eyes, featured a band that was cobbled together right before recording. With her tremelo vocals and slow-tempo, mostly acoustic pieces, Desveaux's debut was considered to be more introspective and sad. The songwriting became a more communal affair after Desveaux toured with her group for two years, and The Mighty Ship (which is also the name of her backing band) has a considerably more upbeat, Fleetwood Mac-like feel. Production was handled by Dave Draves (Kathleen Edwards, Howe Gelb), who helped guide The Mighty Ship into crisper pop territory.

"Wandering Eyes was a lot more mellow, since those songs were written in my room, by myself," Desveaux says. "The Mighty Ship's songs were written as a group, and with other people. Your tendency to write slow numbers doesn't really work in that setting."

Starting with the title, The Mighty Ship conjures imagery of a life at sea, which is synonymous with Desveaux's country twang and her Cape Breton upbringing. Desveaux wrote the title track for her grandmother, whose first husband perished at sea. "The Mighty Ship" was also the name given to the doomed ship Titanic in an old folk song.

The album may sound far removed from the Wheel Club or Barfly's bluegrass nights in Montreal, yet the new record retains the Maritime wistfulness that made Wandering Eyes such a hotly tipped release among country and folk music fans.

"People don't necessarily listen to a lot of folk music in Cape Breton, but they don't know how ingrained it is there," says Desveaux. "When I hear a fiddle player at a pub or community centre, that brings me back to the Maritimes or an east coast sound. The music there has a waltzy feel, and to me it always reminded me of the ocean."

Set sail with Desveaux and The Mighty Ship here:

Sept. 4 Toronto, ON @ The Boat
Sept. 5 Wakefield, QC @ Black Sheep Inn
Sept. 6 Quebec City, QC @ Le Bal Du Lezard
Sept. 9 Montreal, QC @ Le Lion D'Or