Swedish-born (of Argentinean heritage) troubadour José González first took the U.K. and much of Europe by quiet storm on the strength of his debut EP, Crosses, and its full-length follow-up, the widely acclaimed Veneer. Although he started out playing in punk, hardcore and indie-rock bands, González found his true calling after mastering classical guitar and applying his sensitive-but-assertive vocals to haunting, down-tempo troubadour fare (sung in English) in the Nick Drake and Tim Buckley tradition. The BBC, critics and concert audiences ate it up, propelling Veneer into the U.K. Top 10, while over in the States (where the 2003 album wasnt released until 2005), Billboard declared it an extremely promising example of big things to come. Both the 2006 EP Stay in the Shade and last years In Our Nature found González easily living up to his end of that bargain.