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Over three self-penned studio albums, Lior has perfected his brand of smart pop: folksy hooks layered over lush arrangements, infused with Middle Eastern influences, or pared back to show off a stunning, sinewy voice.

It all gets a bit lost amid the din of commercial music: too gentle for indie radio; much too intelligent for the rest of the FM band. Which is all rather refreshing, really. And those who taste his music on iPods and in the flesh — a heavy touring schedule has honed a charmingly effortless stage presence — find the Israeli-born muso completely irresistible.

Lior’s story is one you wish there were more of in the music business. The proverbial overnight success in his late 20s (which typically came after years of writing and performing), his self-financed, independently released debut album Autumn Flow organically grew the audience it deserved. Triple J named it one of the best albums of the year, and the achingly romantic single This Old Love not only found a place in the front half of the Hottest 100 in 2004 but became an instant bridal waltz classic.

The song — “we’ll grow old together / and this love will never die” — encapsulates the success of his song writing: lyrics often balancing on the edge of sanguine pulled back by rich instrumentation, a beguiling voice and a self-deprecating character.

His latest album, Tumbling Into The Dawn, is his most mature work — from the cheerily lovelorn first single I Thought I Could Sing On My Own (“without you it ain’t much of a song”) to the screwball romance of Chewing Gum (“I’m still stuck on you / like chewing gum on the sole of your shoe”) to the haunting simplicity of Sulitha (proceeded by an interlude from Indian classical guitarist Debasis Chakroborty). He can paint vivid stories through song, like the man who attempted suicide at Sydney’s notorious The Gap only to be blown out to sea and survive (the album’s title track):

“A breath to cling on or sink like stone / Which way will you turn? / And you were sure that you were gone / You closed your eyes and floated on / And prayed that you would be newly born / So tell me are you free at last / Have you let go of the past / Charlie’s tumbling into the dawn”

The album washes over you as the perfect easy-listening summer soundtrack. But subsequent rotations of Tumbling Into The Dawn reveal a subtlety and stamina rare in pop music.

The details: Lior’s Tumbling Into The Dawn is in music stores and on iTunes now. He’s playing The Quarry Amphitheatre in Perth next Wednesday, and at the Woodford Folk Festival north of Brisbane from December 27.