Liam Finn & Eliza Jane

On Liam Finn's outstanding 2007 debut, I'll Be Lighting, the New Zealand-based singer-songwriter played nearly every instrument save for drum tracks and some bass help from his father, Crowded House and Split Enz alum Neil Finn. Liam's vocals definitely recall his old man's, even more so on Champagne in Seashells, a five-song EP he recorded with Eliza Jane Barnes that was released last month on Yep Roc. If his next album, due early next year, is anything like the cuts on Champagne, it ought to be killer. Barnes, who's been touring with Finn for the past two years, lends some lovely vocal harmonies, autoharp playing and percussion to the live show, which is something to behold. At the Walnut Room last year, Finn seamlessly created guitar loops on the fly — making it sound like four people playing — before scurrying back to the drum kit.