Audio Mixer: Robert Carranza.
Born in Borneo and with the ukulele as her chief instrument, Malaysian singer-songwriter Zee Avi's biography reads much more exotically than her debut album, a surprising straightforward set of jazz-tinged folk pop in the mold of Feist and Norah Jones. Released on Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records--a fitting home considering its easy-on-the-ears nature, ZEE AVI has a winning charm due to the songstress's feather-light approach to singing and strumming. Listeners shouldn't be fooled by the breezy nature of the arrangements, however: songs such as "Bitter Heart," "Is This the End," and "Last of the Gang to Die" all suggest a lyricist familiar with the dark side.
The story behind the release of Zee Avi's self-titled debut album is very much a 21st century tale. The Borneo-born, Kuala Lumpur-raised singer/songwriter began posting songs on YouTube at a friend's behest. Soon after she began to accumulate a fan base, eventually including the head of Monotone Records, who, in tandem with the people at Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records, signed her to a deal. The resulting record keeps very much in tune with the Brushfire aesthetic, with a warm and cozy sound, intimate vocals, and a general feeling of calm. While her songwriting is strong and she dishes out many fine melodies and perfectly fine lyrics, the real draw is Avi's vocals. Breathy, quiet, and sweet as spring, yet never wandering into cutesy territory, she hooks the listener in right away and never lets go. Songs like "Honey Bee," "Monte," and "First of the Gang to Die" are probably the most beguiling on the album, as they feature only Avi with guitar backing her vocals, but the instrumentation on the remainder never gets in the way (as you might expect from a Brushfire release). It's a very promising debut by an artist who already seems in total control of her gift; the trick now is to maintain the momentum and keep making records this good. ~ Tim Sendra

Paste (magazine) (p.55) - "Her arrangements are music-hall clever....Avi sounds natural and unaffected -- she's a well-educated kid who's not afraid to show it."