Icelandic singer Eliza Newman first grabbed attention with her appearance on Al Jazeera News to perform her song 'Eyjafjallajökull' in the aftermath of the ash cloud. Although the word is still a mouthful, the video of her appearance garnered hundreds of thousands of views within a week from those attempting to pronounce the name themselves.
With a ukulele in hand, it’s hard to picture that Eliza was previously in rock bands and considers System of a Down and Led Zeppelin two of her main influences. However, she admits she has always kept an open mind to music and, in a big step away from her rock roots in Bellatrix, she has produced a simple, soothing three track EP ‘Ukulele Song For You’.
Already popular in Iceland, her title track topped the charts last summer. Her songs aren’t overdone, but all sound chirpy. Her choice of subtle instrumentation and cheerful vocals complement each other perfectly to create an overall ‘nice’ EP.
The sound is overwhelmingly calming, but it depends on whether you can stomach yet another act taken in by the ukulele craze of late. It’s simply a straightforward, lovely EP that Eliza has created. It’s hard to fault as there is nothing brash or risky about it per se, but sometimes it’s just nice to come across someone who settles for pleasant lyrics and sound instead of an overcomplicated set of tracks.
With a full album ('Pie in the Sky') due out soon, this EP gives us a taste of the sound Eliza looks to encompass. Differing greatly to her previous musical sounds, she has settled for a quiet and bubbly change in direction and if you are a fan of the recent ukulele craze, you’ll almost certainly like 'Ukulele Song for You'.
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Already popular in Iceland, her title track topped the charts last summer. Her songs aren’t overdone, but all sound chirpy. Her choice of subtle instrumentation and cheerful vocals complement each other perfectly to create an overall ‘nice’ EP. 
