The band Simone Says, hailing from Göteborg, released their debut album in December: a collection of songs with a smooth jazz-influenced pop, in a style I’m more used to hear from American bands than Swedish. They excel here, though, on a record that grows with each listen, with songs that circle around Camilla Bakke, her piano and her wonderful presence in her vocals, finely varied and coloured with violin and guitars; acoustic as well as electric ones. The seventies feel close and my thoughts go to artists like Carly Simon, Carole King, Billy Joel and to some extent Joni Mitchell. Beautiful melodies and a good variation between the groovy and the delicate on an album that feels as bright as a laidback, sunny sunday morning. Here are a few songs I have an extra soft spot for:

Simone Says’ site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Soundcloud