she doesn't look a thing like jesus

Despite society's repeated attempts to convince us otherwise, outer beauty can sometimes be a greater curse than it is a blessing. A girl I went to high school with - a gorgeous specimen of unfair genetics my friends and I dubbed "Pretty Girl" - was perhaps one of the smartest, most talented ladies I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. But because of that perfect face and almost paralyzing shyness, "Pretty Girl" never got the opportunity to show folks what she was truly made of. Instead, she will forever live on in our collective high school memory as the prettiest person we've ever seen up close.


Such is often the case with music's most adept yet tantalizing female singer-songwriters. Take someone like Fiona Apple, a powerhouse of sight, sound and pure passion: It took years for the pint-sized singing sensation to prove her pipes far outweighed her heroin-chic sex appeal. Minty Fresh's newest import, Finlandian stunner Astrid Swan, might encounter similar hurdles thanks to a buxom figure and come-hither stare. But her playfully husky voice and crafty lyricism, juxtaposed to a rough-around-the-edges-Nancy Drew image, could help squelch criticism before it even starts.

Her debut album, Poverina, out May 22, is sure to startle and delight with its Kate Bushian sensibility and sweeping piano melodies. Not that she's easily compared to other female artists before her, but stylistically and vocally Swan recalls K Records mainstay Mirah, only a little less saccharine sweet. And she possesses the infectious gusto of Tori Amos, without resorting to pretentious, eccentric theatrics. If that's not enough to convince you Swan has got all the right stuff, you can even preview Poverina in its entirety before you buy it on the Minty Fresh Web site.

Or, if you're too lazy to link, click on the choice picks below. There's even a cover of the Killers' "When You Were Young," which of course, she does far more justice to than its creators ever could have. Pretty girl's got some chops.

From Poverina (Preorder now or buy May 22 @ Minty Fresh):
They Need You If They Think You Love Them
When You Were Young
+Myspace