It's been wowing audiences these past two years with jazz, soul and world music acts, but the annual Mosaic Music Festival this time around has just earned its stripe.

The 10-day festival, now in its third year, starts next Friday at the Esplanade and promises to be bolder than ever with a lineup appealing to all generations of music lovers, including a younger crowd.

Where the festival has hosted seasoned names in the past, this year it has increased the number of fresh, edgy acts including Jose Gonzalez, a Swedish singer-songwriter whose achingly beautiful song Crosses was used in the popular TV show The O.C.

The Mosaic Music Festival is going all-out to extend its appeal to younger music lovers with contemporary acts like American singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata, American indie rock band Yo La Tengo and Norwegian experimental jazz band Jaga Jazzist.

Such acts follow from the success of cutting-edge, contemporary artistes who performed at last year's festival such as Norwegian folk-pop duo Kings Of Convenience and Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara.

But older music fans are not neglected either: Blues icon Buddy Guy will be performing, as well as American singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones, famous for hits like Chuck E's in Love.

Mosaic producer Amy Ho says: "We wanted a balance between living legends and current chart-topping talents to present a good mix of artistes."

New elements of the festival this year include an "11th Hour" showcase where concerts are staged in the Esplanade Concert Hall at 11pm, as well as a set by British hip-hop DJ Vadim held in DXO, a nightclub at the Esplanade.

Altogether, there are more than 400 artistes performing in 100 ticketed and free concerts. About 40 per cent are international artistes, while the rest are home-grown and regional.

This is an increase of about 100 artistes and about 30 concerts from previous years.

The move to up the hip quotient has been given the thumbs-up by music lovers Life! spoke to.

Parents such as Singapore Idol vocal coach Babes Conde like the idea that there are acts that both she and her teenage son Adam Shah, 19, can watch together. Conde, who is in her 50s - and who, when she is not coaching Idol hopefuls, is a freelance keyboard skills instructor - has bought tickets to watch three Mosaic concerts with Shah, a Singapore Polytechnic music and audio technology student.

Singapore Idol vocal coach Babes Conde and her teenage son Adam Shah will be watching concerts together at this Mosaic Music festival.

Together, they will catch veteran American soul band Tower Of Power and American a cappella sextet Take 6 as well as American jazz musicians Chick Corea and Gary Burton.

"I told Adam that it would be good to listen to these classic groups. He listens to all kinds of music, too, and we often share ideas," says Conde, a Filipino who became a citizen here in 1990.

Shah is well known to indie music stalwarts as the ex-drummer of critically acclaimed home-grown rock band The Observatory. He left the group late last year due to artistic differences and is focusing on a school internship.

When asked if he has any qualms about attending concerts with his mother, he says: "I don't feel insecure at all. She's a musician and we both appreciate music."

Public relations executive Julia Wee, 25, shares Shah's sentiments about attending concerts with her father.

"I went to watch Coldplay with my Dad. He's quite modern in terms of music taste. He taught my sister and me to play the guitar," she says.

They will be catching home-grown pop-rock duo 53A perform on March 13 at the Esplanade concourse as Wee's younger sister, Sarah Wee, 21, plays the guitar and sings with 53A.

"It's good that Mosaic not only features international acts but home-grown ones as well," she adds.

With a week left till the festival starts, tickets are moving fast, according to the Esplanade.

Shows such as that of American acid-jazz collective Brooklyn Funk Essentials, children's jazz act Jazz 123, comprising home-grown jazz chanteuse Rani Singam, and the first of two gigs by American indie rock band Album Leaf are sold out. Other top-sellers include concerts by Rachael Yamagata, American jazz band Duke Ellington Orchestra, Take 6 and Yo La Tengo.

For the third year running, Mosaic involves collaborations between the Esplanade and the organisers of the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland by jointly presenting the concert of veteran American soul band Tower Of Power.

Similarly, the renowned New York-based Putumayo World Music will jointly present the concert of Brooklyn Funk Essentials with the Esplanade. The Esplanade expects as big a crowd as last year - about 80,000 people comprising Singaporeans and tourists.

And if this year's line-up is not enough to impress, the Esplanade has hinted that it is already looking at bringing in acts such as highly acclaimed Brazilian singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso and American jazz vocalist Kurt Elling for next year's festival.

As teenager Shah puts it: "Singaporean audiences only get to watch what's on MTV and listen to Top 40 hits. Mosaic offers more left-of-centre artistes for people who aren't in the know."

The Mosaic Music Festival will be staged at the Esplanade from March 9 till 18.
For more information, visit www.mosaicmusicfestival.com or Sistic (www.sistic.com.sg).
Tel: 6348-5555