This young Ottawa area singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist has performed here several times to great acclaim. So much so that she was invited to perform at the 2015 Women’s Blues Review and she may perhaps still be its youngest alumna. It is something of a major surprise to hear her write and perform such fresh takes on traditional acoustic blues. She does this using all the facilities of a modern recording studio, playing bass, various guitars and keyboards. She also multi-tracks numerous vocal parts for many of the songs. Kiran Francis is on drums and occasional vocals. “What’s Your Story” is a terrific opener with Angelique on National Steel asking you to strive for self-confidence. She switches to electric slide for the slow blues “24 Hours”, a new song based loosely on Eddie Boyd’s classic. The tempo picks up slightly for “Should Have Known”, a band track about terminating a relationship. Angelique adds harmonica to her arsenal. She can do R&B as well, with “We’ll Find (our own sunshine)” featuring trumpet & saxes from Mr. Twisty & Kharincia Francis. The horns sit out for a couple more R&B originals: “Not So Long Ago” and “Let Me Be Your Guide”. Some fine electric guitar soloing opens the blues “What’ve You Done (for me)”. The tour de force closer is another stone solid blues “Nothin’ I Can Do” – she cannot save this person and the multi-tracked vocal parts & harmonica convey her helplessness most effectively. Check the album out on Spotify and marvel at her voice. This is a very impressive debut from an obviously multi-talented artist, I hope there will be many more to come. She runs her own career as well so the CD is only available at www.angeliquefrancis.net.