Leona Naess

Leona Naess has recently gained more popularity supporting Ray Lamontagne on his recent UK tour, but prior to this Leona has been around for some time writing and recording songs for some years. Thirteens is in fact her fourth album.

Leona’s sound is poles apart from the current more famous Leona, and instead thrives on gentle acoustic numbers with plenty of emotion. There is some Martha Wainwright in her, but with a softer approach. Opener Ghosts in the Attic epitomises all that is good with this album; simple yet effective musical accompaniment, beautiful vocals and raw emotion in the lyrics, in this instance as Leona haunting vocals recall the death of her Father. ‘Unnamed is a more upbeat track and includes a drum machine as Leona goes for a more poppy alternate sound, this works equally as well as the emotive numbers, and the chorus on this track is perfect summer fodder. The track gets a second, stripped down outing at the end and is equally good in this rawer state.

‘Learning As We Go’ is a real surprise and it starts slowly but two thirds of the way through opens up in a explosion of melody.

‘Leave Your Boyfriends Behind’ is a real sing along number as the chorus swings in with a lift’, When Sharks Attack’ is a blinder with the vocal opening, before the gentle music drifts in.

It is slightly hard to draw comparisons here- Feist maybe one, and the aforementioned Martha Wainwright shows in places; but Thirteens really needs to be heard to be appreciated; it is a breath a fresh air in the current world of indie guitar and urban sounds.