Desireless

Desireless by Eagle-Eye Cherry

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The offspring of jazz-trumpet great Don Cherry and half-brother of both Neneh Cherry and Swedish pop diva Titiyo (who duets with her brother on "Worried Eyes"), Eagle-Eye proves that we are not who we're related to. He was born in Stockholm to Cherry and Swedish mixed-media artist Moki, and one might suppose a member of this clan to be as innovative as the rest of his brood, especially given such an idiosyncratic moniker. But it turns out that that's the only eccentric thing about this musician. Cherry offers up a low-key, melodic diary of tales of his misspent youth in New York. And despite the music's soft-focus part-Cat Stevens, part-Ben Harper leanings, occasionally you realize that Eagle-Eye must have pasted posters of Ozzy Osbourne and Jimi Hendrix on his bedroom wall. "Indecision" (supposedly a rejoinder to Stockholm neo-Nazi "White Noise" bands like Swastika) rides on a searing Richie Blackmore lick. "Save Tonight" is a bittersweet reworking of Peter, Paul and Mary's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" theme. The title song updates his late father's "Desireless," which is revitalized via sparse piano, a haunting trumpet, and Cherry's hypnotic, repetitive vocals. Here it's clear that, even though he is dabbling in the shoals of alt-folk-rock, Eagle-Eye can claim a limb on the family tree anytime he wants. --Jaan Uhelszki