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...