Eliza Newman - Pie In The Sky
"Pie In The Sky" is the second solo album from Icelandic singer/songwriter Eliza Newman. Recorded and mixed in London and Iceland with producer Gisli Kristjansson, the album is already a big hit in Iceland and it contains two Icelandic number one singles 'Ukulele Song For You' and 'Hopeless Case'.
The album kicks off with 'Ukulele Song For You', which is unremarkably exactly what it says on the tin; a song with ukulele backing. It's a pop-folk thing with a slow beat and the crystal clear vocals of Ms Newman to the fore. It's catchy, yes, and so Euro-pop in it's feel. It's easy to see how such a song can top various singles charts. This is followed up with the second number one song to be featured on the album, 'Hopeless Case'. Here, there are more instruments backing the more up temp vocals. Newman's voice is again immaculate and the infectious, catchy chorus doesn't surprise.
The songs are all in the same genre; a mix of folk, pop and all as catchy as hell. Newman often seems to deliver the odd lyric with a slight tongue in cheek attitude which suggests that she sees the music style and the whole album as a means to an end rather than fully committing to both. That said, she does produce commercially aware songs and her voice is always pleasing.
It is difficult to compare Newnan's voice to any other singer; the best I came up with was The Cardigans or even The Corrs. That's not important though. What's important is that she has a great voice and can write and perform very good melodic pop.
Her angelic vocal style belies the fact that she was once the lead singer of Bellatrix, an Icelandic rock band who released albums on Bjork's Bad Taste label. A trained opera singer and a versatile musician, Newman has managed to adapt her skills to producing a solid album of catchy tunes that will surely see her become a household name in the UK and Europe as well as in her already conquered Iceland.