Olof Arnalds is a young Icelandic singer/songwriter with an otherworldly vocal presence that bears obvious comparison to artists like Joanna Newsom, or even fellow countrywoman Bjork. Sung in her native tongue, "Vid Og Vid" is an emotional, wonderfully delicate suite of songs that focus on gently plucked string instruments and high-lonesome melodies, making for a truly beautiful album that evokes the most precious folk chanteuses of the ages.

Olof Arnalds is a young Icelandic singer/songwriter with an otherworldly vocal presence that bears obvious comparison to artists like Joanna Newsom, or even fellow countrywoman Bjork. She has been known for some time in her homeland for collaborations with Mum, Mugison, Skuli Sverrisson and others, but has fully come into her own with this embracing solo debut, which topped many prominent 2007 best-of lists in Iceland. Sung all in her native tongue, the appeal of this intimate album is nonetheless universal, a deeply emotional, wonderfully delicate suite of songs that focus on gently plucked string instruments and high-lonesome vocal melodies, making for a truly beautiful album that evokes the most precious folk chanteuses of the ages. [JM] (September 5, 2008)