soybeanoil

Sounds like: Iron & Wine’s mellow instrumental work, meets Django Reinhardt’s melodic prowess, meets Feist’s expressive lyrics and vocal talent.

FYI: Yes, that is a melancholy cover of Britney Spear’s Toxic at the end of her album.

In the past, Apple has been known to ‘make’ artists with their clever ad campaigns, from the chaos of their colorful iPod ads to the calm minimalism of their Mac ads. However, not even they could’ve predicted the sudden success of Yael Naïm’s self-titled american debut upon being featured in the much anticipated 08′ Macbook Air commercial (shown below). A native of Paris, France, Yael was born to a Jewish-Sephardi family, and moved to Israel when she was very young. Her multi-cultural upbringing is perhaps best expressed on the first track of her album, titled ‘Paris’. On it she sings in both Hebrew and French. However, despite being brought up world’s apart, Yael’s music is very relevant to music today in the USA, and undoubtedly much of the new fan base she has gained will continue to support this talented songstress and her sweet, lyrical folk vocals in the future.

Standout Tracks: New Soul, Levater (hebrew), Lonely, Far Far

Best Played During: Mellow romantic evenings in with the one you love.