Listening to
Leona Naess' debut album,
Comatised, the first thing one notices about her singing is how much she sounds like
Edie Brickell. But this CD also proves that the British singer/songwriter is very much her own person.
Naess' airy vocals might have a very Brickell-ish quality, but it's clear that a lot of other artists have had an impact on her introspective brand of alternative pop/rock. One can hear that
Naess has been affected by fellow singer/songwriters --
Joni Mitchell,
Tori Amos, and
Beth Orton are among the names that come to mind -- and there are also hints of
the Cure,
David Bowie,
Joy Division, and other British rockers in her work.
Naess claims
Tracy Chapman as a major influence, although
Naess' voice doesn't sound anything like Chapman's. However, there are slight traces of Chapman in some of
Naess' writing, but unlike Chapman, she doesn't bring a heavy sociopolitical agenda to the table. Rather,
Naess chooses to make relationships and emotions her focus on this fairly promising, if imperfect, debut. ~ Alex Henderson