Her father is a Norwegian shipping magnate who was once married to Diana Ross and Leona Naess has by all accounts, led a charmed life, flitting between New York, London and Norway.

None of which appears to matter on this impressively assured and starkly passionate debut from the 24-year old London-based singer/songwriter who has latterly been touring America with Travis.

Coming on like Rickie Lee Jones meets The Cowboy Junkies with much of the confessional intensity of Jeff Buckley, Naess is keenly aware of the potent power of understatement. 'Lazy Days', the subdued opener, is a perfect example of her restrained approach, its gentle, beatbox rhythms and chugging Velvets-like acoustic guitar drone underpinning the meandering melody, where she pleads, "Wide eyed and stupid, I'm waiting for the arrows of Cupid."

The recent single 'Charm Attack', while reminiscent of Sinéad O'Connor's 'Mandinka' both rhythmically and in the vocal mannerisms Naess employs, has enough originality to make it her own. Even more rewarding is the title track – a soaring, swirling, string-driven thing, just about radio friendly enough to win her a wide audience should it find a single release.

Naess' vocal talents are matched by her deft lyrical skills: "He's no Casanova and he's no pushover, he's no king and I hope he's no queen," she ponders on the sparse, folksy 'Chosen Family'.

With little filler to contend with Comatised is impressive in almost every respect – other highlights include the wistful 'Lonely Boy', the gorgeous 'Earthquakes' and the glorious headrush of 'New York Baby', another potential calling card for this prodigiously gifted new talent.