Dive verdict: 3 of 5 stars
Basia Bulat’s sophomore album ups the ante with a bigger sound and mood than her debut Oh, My Darling. It certainly shows she’s been busy, but at some points it makes you wonder if she put all that time to the best use.
Bulat’s distinct voice is full of an earnest, folky vibrato that is the focal point of the album. She doesn’t practice restraint, content to showcase the strength of her vocal chords. It’s easy to get distracted by her constant quaver and forget about the intricate instrumentation that completes the earthy vibes that perpetuate the album.
And that would truly be a pity, because the musical arrangements are what distinguish Heart of My Own from the broad singer-songwriter crowd. The banjo and violin on “Heart of My Own” have an Appalachian bluegrass tinge, while “I’m Forgetting Everyone” employs horns to a great mournful effect.
There are unfortunate side effects to such a varied style, and in some cases Bulat comes across as the musical version of a kid in a candy shop. Songs such as “If Only You” and “Go On” sound cramped, as she tries to make too much happen.
Perhaps she realizes this, and tries to balance it out by taking it all away, which she does halfway through the album on “Sparrow” which gets by on the simple plucking of a mandolin and a quietly meditative vocal performance. Such radical shifts, though, make for an uneven experience.
But Bulat’s voice brims with enough powerful heart to get through the rough patches, and at times, to take a little piece of your own along with it.
