iSound

Falling somewhere between Chrissie Hynde, Joni Mitchell, Ricki Lee Jones, and something almost otherworldly, Van Zalm has the kind of voice that makes you go dreamy. Vowels soar, consonants gracefully glide, and the songs come together as elegant emissaries of a rich and talented musician. Hailing from the small farming/surfing/vineyard town of Cowaramup near Margaret River in Western Australia, Van Zalm grew up on healthy doses of Joni Mitchell, and art bands like Talking Heads, Cocteau Twins, and later on, singers like Sinead O'Connor. Van Zalm helped found Martha’s Vineyard, who quickly generated a buzz, and ended up touring with the likes of INXS, The Saints, Weddings Parties Anything, Paul Kelly, Mental as Anything, the Go Betweens, Eurythmics and Simply Red. While Martha’s Vineyard’s lone album--a self-titled 1989 offering containing the hit single “Old Beach Road,” became an instant favorite, Van Zalm made the decision to head out on her own. After the demise of Mar...