Somewhat kooky in personality, both on and off stage, Kinnard obviously takes her songwriting seriously and delves into matters of the heart with absolute integrity.

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Ambling on to the stage with quiet confidence, she bent before the mic and huskily whispered the opening line to the first song 'White Walls' before delicately picking at her acoustic guitar. The crowd was hushed and responsive from here on in. Accompanied by just a piano and her own strumming this engaging chanteuse clearly enjoyed the experience of performing in a library, something she happily confirmed when I later spoke to her.

Hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Dawn had found her muse in the south where she befriended and wrote alongside exiled Brit-popper Cerys Mathews prior to upping sticks and moving to London last year. Since then her live performances have allowed her to build something of an enviable reputation and her recent album Courtesy Fall has been on the receiving end of some glowing reviews in the national press.

At her best, to my mind, when tip-toeing through her more jazz and gospel-spiked songs, such as Devil's Flame, Kinnard conjures up diverse comparisons with Billie Holiday, Kim Carnes, Rosie Thomas and Lisa Loeb.

As the library continues to attract the names just on the cusp of commercial greatness, I suspect that Dawn Kinnard's name will become increasingly familiar throughout 2008.

Unfortunately the more interesting of the evening's support acts, Jay Jay Pistolet had cancelled leaving us with just the inexplicably much-touted, and loved by that barometer of musical taste Chris Moyles, Doug Walker whose set reminded this reviewer of nothing more than the musical crimes committed by the likes of Toploader or Keane. Thank goodness for Ms Kinnard.