Stockholm Lisboa Project are a four-piece band that fuse together the rich musical traditions of Sweden and Portugal. The quartet brings together the Iberian warmth of Luis Peixoto's Portuguese mandolin and the breathtaking fado singing of Liana, with the frenetic polska sounds of Sweden's Sérgio Crisóstomo on violin and Simon Stålspets on Nordic mandola. The result is an eclectic beauty to behold.

Liana's truly gorgeous vocals are bursting with a contagious passion that will have you alternately weeping and jumping for joy -- she's one of those singers who is certain to provoke a reaction, no matter at which end of the emotional spectrum she pitches her expressive and uncompromisingly beautiful voice.

The different tones of the string instruments intertwine perfectly; on the slower numbers the fiddle murmurs sensitively alongside the dancing strings of the mandolin and the lower, sturdy tones of the mandola. The faster polskas allow the strings to burst forth with the driving fiddle underpinned by the rhythmic strumming of mandolin, mandola and bouzouki. The energy pours forth right from the opening track, "Sol de Janeiro / Ombyggnan," with fingers darting effortlessly up and down fret boards, carrying you away on a wave of intense and unbridled joy. There are many such moments to be found on Sol.

For me the album hits its highest spots with the fado songs, laced with the seductive tones of Liana's exquisite voice. On the graceful "Naufrágio," Liana's expressively enunciated phrasing will make you fall instantly in love -- you can almost feel Liana's breath gently caressing your ears as she delivers her impassioned performance. Crashing through any language barriers, there can be little that you would hear that stirs your emotions quite like this. Even on the livelier traditional numbers, such as "Desgarrada," Liana sings at an energetic pace whilst still retaining a sultry fervour and edginess to her vocals.

Sol is well produced, faithfully reproducing the sound of the acoustic instruments as if you're listening to a live performance -- in particular the clarity of the vocals and their dominance in the mix is spellbinding. Sol represents a beautiful marriage of two European traditions, which could well be a love story in itself!