Floating on 'Air'

Have you seen this Macbook Air ad?



The song is "New Soul" by Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naim. Listen to the whole thing at her MySpace page. You know I'm a sucker for some happy la-la's in a television commercial. And I love the angelic oohs at the very end.

Also, is it just me or does her voice sound remarkably like Leona Naess's?


If you're interested in hearing more, check out her self-titled album, where you can hear her multi-lingual talents and the French jazz influence as well.

Oh, and: While you're at her MySpace page, check out her haunting cover of the Britney Spears hit "Toxic."

Double update: Stream the whole album for free here!

JPP Review: Leona Naess

This week's contribution to Just Press Play is the self-titled album from folkstress Leona Naess.

The first 'graph:

Leona Naess has the kind of sultry, wounded voice that jazz legends are made of. But she is no chanteuse- in fact, there are very few jazz influences at work on this self-titled album, her third major-label release. She often sounds like she's had one too many glasses of Scotch, so her confessional style of folk-pop lends itself nicely to that atmosphere. Listening to this album, her third major-label release, it often feels like you just pulled up a bar stool next to her as she started singing her troubles. Or that you ran across her at a campfire and she pulled out her acoustic guitar to lament lost love into the night sky. The album sounds organic and warm, the sparse accompaniment allowing her distinctive voice to shine through. (A strong Edie Brickell influence is evident in the character of her voice, a sort of little-girl innocence mixed with the Scotch.)

For the rest, go here.