The first striking thing about
No Saint is
Lauren Jenkins' voice. Weathered beyond her years, the voice suggests
Jenkins has been through a lot, an impression bolstered by the ten original tunes on her 2019 debut. Filled with songs about open roads, whiskey, and inner demons,
No Saint captures a singer/songwriter with a restless heart, yet
Jenkins channels this wanderlust into music that's remarkably assured. At their core, her songs are the work of a troubadour, constructed with hearty melodies and etched with vivid details, but
No Saint isn't a modest singer/songwriter album, one where the songs are prioritized over the production.
No Saint is a big, bold album, where her sturdy songs are given a shiny production that has an eye squarely on mainstream radio yet doesn't shy away from inviting comparisons between
Jenkins and
Norah Jones. Certainly,
Jenkins is more of an overt rebel than
Jones -- she's rooted in outlaw country, ready to raise a ruckus -- but her voice has similar smoky overtones, which lend even the hard-charging songs and glistening pop tunes a sense of depth. Her voice makes the songs feel experienced, not sung. This hybrid of bracing pop, intimate cabaret, and dusty Americana on
No Saint is invigorating, offering pleasures that are both immediate and lasting, while also announcing the arrival of a major talent. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine