Mikko Joensuu is the kind of singer-songwriter who’l easily stand out from the crowd. His debut album ”Amen 1” taps into the American folk music tradition, and it is all about deep and healing songs which at times give the listener an impression of spending time in quiet, intimate surroundings with people like Townes Van Zandt, Lee Hazlewood or Leonard Cohen. Arrangements are raw but beautiful: mostly just the piano and guitar accompany Mikko’s voice, with pedal steel guitars and soothing string sections paying a visit every now and then.