Ms. Marlin signed her first record deal at the tender age of 16. In Norway her debut album Unforgivable Sinner sold 50,000 copies in 72 hours, and has since gone multi platinum. Outside of her native soil, her success has so far been more limited, although the chilled out campfire sing along Sitting Down Here charted briefly in 2000 allowing the talented young Norwegian to make somewhat of a name for herself across the North Sea.

However, if You Weren't There had any more of The Cranberries in it, it would have to be called Ocean Spray. From the haunting breathy vocal chic of Dolores O'Riordan to the mellow yet building acoustic chords, Lene Marlin not only wears her influences on her sleeve, but wipes them all over her songs too.

If she hopes to make any impact outside of her homeland, she had better be armed with some stronger, slightly more original material.

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