“It’s all those tiny pieces of emotions we’ve all felt,” Francesca Lee says of her self-released debut The Pieces Left. “I didn’t obsess over the types of songs I should write or what kind of artist I should be, instead I allowed my intuition to guide me to the music, it comes from a place so far beyond my consciousness, it really is a magical thing.”

Ever so often and artist exceeds expectations and has the creativity and patience to make such a concise album on a shoestring budget. Three years in the making, The Pieces Left delivers these goods and lives up to the San Francisco buzz that’s been stirring up about the 27 –year-old artist. Alongside artists like Fiona Apple and Rachael Yamagata, Lee merges a precise combination of smoky sensuality and youthful innocence in her music. The eleven songs on the album offer a vibrant, soulful showcase for her talents as both an uncommonly introspective songwriter, deeply expressive, effortlessly memorable chanteuse.

Recorded in the artist’s adopted hometown of San Francisco with noted San Francisco producer and multi instrumentalist Michael Winger (Regina Spektor, Kronos Quartet, Jason Miraz), The Pieces Left features guitarist Jeff Johnson, Lee’s sole artistic collaborator who in addition also co-wrote Lee’s song Maybe Today and drummer Jake Wood.

“We just started with simple piano, acoustic guitar, and lyrical leads and built them up with texture and sounds that served the story. We wanted to keep the arrangements lush and dreamy. I wanted to portray the day melting into the night and that’s why the first half of the album is more major sounding and the second half has a more minor feel.”

 A-list support notwithstanding, it's Lee’s lyrically incisive, mysteriously haunting compositions and intimate performances that make The Pieces Left such a revelation. Such tunes as “Paper Hearts,” “Fly,” “Daydream” and “Ballerina” boast a level of emotional insight that's rare in such a young artist.