Lex Land

Were My Sweetheart To Go (Intelligent Noise)

Lex Land’s sophomore CD follows her acclaimed 2008 debut with more of the same cheeky, twentysomething indie pop that traveled with her from L.A. to Austin where she’s settled. The bar’s high here for young female singer-songwriters, and Land’s strengths are worth developing and encouraging even if Sweetheart‘s uneven nature is as charming as it is disconcerting. Some of the album’s weaknesses result from the sequencing. Opener “Oh My!” is thunder and lightning, yet the otherwise moody, neo-cocktail follower “Someone New on My Mind” is strictly flashes of beauty and light without the boom. “Oh My!” would be better followed by “How Well You Do,” whereas “Someone New” would feel better deeper in. Nonetheless, all these songs frame Land’s evocative, expressive vocals with a kiss and a promise to really deliver next time. (Lex Land CD release, Saturday, Aug. 13, Swan Dive.)

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This article appears in August 12 • 2011.

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