Leona Naess, the up-and-coming artist who can be seen on late-night talk shows such as Jay Leno and opening for The Counting Crows and John Mayer during their tour this past summer, has released her latest self-titled album.

Although Naess has had three previously released albums, she’s only beginning to make her mark on the music scene.

After growing up in London, at 18 she moved to the United States to study music and anthropology at New York University. It was there she began recording her own music and building a small following in New York’s music club scene.

Although she could be compared to Grammy-winning Norah Jones with a more feminine voice, more edge and not as jazzy, she is much more in the style of Liz Phair and Chantal Kreviazuk.

Her singing sounds effortless as if beautiful singing comes naturally to her and, of course, it does. She also plays the guitar on all of her tracks as well as writing her music, making her all the more talented.

Track 3 titled, “He’s Gone,” is a fast, upbeat track that Naess pulls off amazingly and it’s probably the best track on the entire album. It is dance-worthy and catchy without being too hokey. And her lyrics have something to say as well.

“Calling,” the initial track on the album is slow but has a beat and flow to it that catches the listener off-guard. After seeing her perform live, this track is the one that stands out most because its sound is unique but catchy.

Another great track is “Don’t Use My Broken Heart,” which has an amazing piano performance that stands out and Naess’s voice harmonizes with it so beautifully.

She also adds voice inflection worthy of making the slower song “Ballerina” less bland, while it is another song with a great slow piano performance. Naess’s pain and longing of a lover lost can be heard through her voice in this song, also making it more interesting.

But it is her voice ability heard in “How Sweet” that proves her talent is going to take her somewhere. Her voice in this track is high and so smooth that it merely washes over the listener in a way that cannot compare to any other artist.

Last year around this time the talk on the music scene was Norah Jones, who surprised everyone by taking home eight Grammys. This year, it seems quite possible that Leona Naess could be the one keeping up with Jones.