Elizabeth Willis's path to the music scene was unlike most stories you've ever heard. While I was watching Thundercats and Fat Albert she was playing the piano and violin. While I was learning how to apply eyeliner before my hot 6th grade dance, she was composing her first song. And now, at just 21 years of age she is an accomplished musician whose debut album is getting everyone from Ludacris to Newsweek excited.

Willis's voice shares some of the sadness sometimes found in Tracy Chapman's but relies mostly on the instrumentals for the impressive melodiousness. This is perhaps what makes her music so wonderful; it combines perfectly polished instrumentation with an inexperienced voice - giving her classically trained strings some grit and personality.

This album puts a lump in my throat; I love it.

Download two of Willis's songs here and be prepared for her to get big:

One(mp3)

In Your Eyes(mp3)