Lijie - real songs about real life. You've gotta love her!

The first time I heard Blue by Lijie, I knew she was someone to be reckoned with and, more importantly, someone to listen to.

What compelled me to play her songs multiple times wasn't easy for me to define. Her voice had something to do with it, since I'm a sucker for an alto with a decent range, but it was more than that.

Ultimately I decided what set her apart was just the pure honesty of her delivery. Sometimes we'll say of a singer that she "owns" the song, but I think these songs own Lijie. You can't listen to them without knowing her struggles, her hopes, her desires, and even the humor that all fit together in one marvelous person.

After you listen you'll certainly want to learn more about Lijie, and you can do that both on her web site and on her MySpace site.

I'm guessing Lijie could have done just about anything she wanted to in life, and I for one am very glad she wanted to be an artist.