Music Review: Norway's Ida Maria explodes on debut

Ida Maria, "Fortress Round My Heart" (Mercury)

Ida Maria (full name Ida Maria Borli Sivertsen) may be the best Scandinavian export since Sweden's the Hives and Denmark's Junior Senior crashed onto the music scene years ago.

From a small town in Norway, the 24-year-old singer has the kind of voice that snarls, shouts but also slinks along on a jazzy purr.

Her debut album "Fortress Round My Heart" does exactly that, flicking back and forth from freshly righteous pop-punk to woozy acoustic ballads about booze, sex, love and life.

"Oh My God" snags you first with its hard bam, bam, bam of a drum beat, as Ida Maria sings throatily, "Find a cure, find a cure for my life." Then she explodes, thrashing out, "Oh my God, oh you think I'm in control? Oh my God, oh you think it's all for fun?!"

TV's "Gossip Girl" exploited the anthem this season to full, lusty effect in its teen-centric promos, but women and men of all ages can appreciate Ida Maria's antiestablishment lyrics.

"I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" is another certified hit, filled with whoops, joyful harmony and fuzzy riffs. Her nuanced deep voice expresses even more on the album's slower numbers, with room to trail off and emote.

With a neurological condition known as synesthesia that allows her to see colors when she hears music, Ida Maria must be seeing yellow, orange and red when she performs, given the joyful punch her music brings.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Ida Maria espouses her need for whiskey on the swinging, jangly "Queen of the World," singing, "I'm lonely forever, but today/ I'm queen of the world, I bump into things/ I spin around in circles/ And I am singing."