Jose Gonzalez
In Our Nature
(Peacefrog)
Jose Gonzalez's debut Veneer was remarkable for a number of reasons. First, despite what you might think, looking at the singer's name, he comes from Sweden. Second, he sings the kind of lo-fi, guitar-driven folk-rock normally associated with the likes of Elliott Smith and Leonard Coen.
It's Gonzalez's rich, cultured voice that sets him apart from the aforementioned troubadours and Veneer was a minor sensation, a sleeper hit that took two years to earn an international release - in 2005 - before it charted anywhere outside Northern Europe.
In the years since, Gonzalez has formed a three-piece band (Junip) as a sideline and been busy touring the globe, surprising with his song selection. Audiences in Australia, for example, were delighted to hear him give a stripped down version of Kylie Minogue's Hand on Your Heart a sensitive workout.