On the stark and spacious Devotion and Doubt, Richard Buckner's aching vocals stand weather-beaten but unbowed, like a lone saguaro on the Mojave. And just as a cactus thrives on drops of water, the poetic lyrics of the singer and songwriter, who was born in Fresno, Calif., require nothing more than spare arrangements and acoustic settings.

Both of the above predominate Doubt, his major-label debut; songs melt from one to the next as the story of a love affair's dissolution unfolds. Buckner's fragmented yet incisive wordplay and emotive phrasing and vocalizing – which ranges from a tortured whisper to a twangy howl – project heartbreak and dashed hopes without histrionics. The light touch of a nylonstring guitar or trill of a mandola infuses a track with sadness. But what's left unsaid within Buckner's lyrics pack just as strong a punch. Take the haunting "Song of 27": "I see her in the doorway, staring a hole through it all/The first of many fits, and the last one was, the last one was ..."

Nuance is key on Devotion and Doubt, both lyrically and sonically. In the violin-washed "Lil Wallet Picture," an old photograph vividly conjures lost love and youth ("You wild, bitter tale, all cherry, oak and tears"). Similarly effective is the chirping cricket captured on the eerie "On Traveling," along with Buckner's simple organ tones and Joey Burns' spooky bowed bass.

The energized exception to Devotion and Doubt's creeping, moody pace is the up-tempo "A Goodbye Rye," propelled by Marc Ribot's inspired Telecaster and Lloyd Maines' weepy pedal steel. Throughout the album, Giant Sand drummer John Convertino provides a percussive texture with his brushes, mallets and marimba. Producer J.D. Foster's restraint pays off, with Champ Hood's fiddle here, Maines' steel there, offering an affecting counterpoint to Buckner's unadorned intonations. Likewise, lovely instrumental interludes, like the delicate "Polly Waltz," pop up now and then, letting a little light into the proceedings. Overwhelmingly, though, Devotion and Doubt is dark music – best savored during late-night listenings. (RS 758)

HOLLY GEORGE-WARREN