Jonna Lee

Phew ... long day. Tough day. Definitely need this one.

Jonna Lee (MySpace) is a Swedish singer-songwriter, and a very good one at that. I tend to be quite the non-fan of singer-songwriter stuff, especially when it's driven merely by simple rhythm guitar melodies, airy keyboard backgrounds, and super sparse, high-hat-heavy drumming, but Jonna Lee does it well and does it with conviction and an authenticity that most folk-leaning individuals wash out with overly ego-centric arrangements and songs. Lee sounds like another instrument in the band as opposed to the center of attention and one glimmer of talent and soul.

Indeed, these songs are not only catchy and relaxed, chill, but also organically layered and warming. Don't you hate those people on the street that'll randomly walk by singing some crummy song with next to no talent, but thinking they're the best in the world? I always feel like singer-songwriters (broad generalization here) subject me to the same disservice. Lee has proven me wrong: I want to hear this girl all day long.

And hey -- she collaborates with Ed Harcourt on one of the tunes! Be sure to check out "I wrote This Song," though -- it's the best of the bunch below. It sounds like what would happen if Victoria Bergsman got a jazzier, more confident voice. Cool.

Jonna Lee - I Wrote This Song

Jonna Lee - Dried Out Eyes

Jonna Lee - And You Love (feat. Ed Harcourt)