A Great Debut From Lykke Li

The debut album by Lykke Li, Youth Novels, is one of my favorite albums of the year - a warm and captivating collection of songs full of emotional depth, directness and resonance. Li simultaneously charms and touches, and in her ability to demonstrate her vulnerability and poignant straightforwardness, she holds the promise of being an artist with real staying power.

Li's voice is almost elfin in tone, sounding like a combination of Bjork and Feist. But the simplicity of the songs and production (by Bjorn Ytting of Peter Bjorn and John) anchor her, and keep the album from veering into cutesy territory. There are delightful pop touches all over the album: "Let It Fall," built on a wonderfully simple and hypnotic beat, employs great flourishes of keyboards, percussion, guitar and horn that support Li's mesmerizing vocals; the angelic chorus of "Little Bit," which provides a piece of sweetness amidst the dark and spare overall feel of the track. And "My" is simply gorgeous; lush, lovely and immensely affecting.

There are moments on the album where her Li's reach eludes her grasp, such as "This Trumpet In My Head," which comes off as sophomoric and pretentious. But moments like that are relatively few and far between, and do little to diminish the album's high points, of which there are many.

Swedish soul? I don't know - but this is a damned good album.

Buy Lykke Li Youth Novels at Amazon.

Listen: Lykke Li - "Let It Fall"

Watch: "Little Bit"