The singer got an early start, making her first appearance on Mountain Stage as a teenager. In her third visit, Kitchell once again brings a gentle, refined sound that showcases her dark and breathy falsetto.

Even before her first visit to Mountain Stage as a teenager, singer-songwriter Sonya Kitchell's powerful, jazz inflected voice had established her as an artist to watch. Her debut album, Words Came Back to Me, garnered national attention through the Starbucks Hear Music program, and in 2007 she was asked to join jazz legend Herbie Hancock for a series of shows in conjunction with his Joni Mitchell inspired album, River: The Joni Letters. She followed that with 2008's Malcolm Burn-produced album This Storm, which featured Boston-based rock group The Slip. After another touring excursion with The Slip, which included a stop at Mountain Stage, Kitchell wrote what would become Convict of Conviction in isolation, a stark contrast to years-long, hectic touring schedule.

In her third Mountain Stage appearance, she is joined by her studio collaborator, bassist/arranger Garth Stevenson, The Brooklyn Strings (violinists Skye Steel and Dana Lyn, cellist Yoed Nir) and drummer Evan Pazner. With a gentle, refined sound that showcases her dark and breathy falsetto, Kitchell performs five songs, including "Convict of Conviction," the title cut from that most recent EP.

This segment originally aired on April 15, 2011. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]