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Noa Bursie sings "Altitudes"

Starting out of the gates with 12 original songs on her independently released CD, TalkStory, Buffalo-born singer-songwriter Noa Bursie proves to be a unique musical talent who isn’t afraid to mix metaphors. Meaning, she bravely stretches her warm, pliable alto across a vocal and lyrical range a la Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones, combining rarely-heard scat singing (“Tea with Geraldo”) with bold strokes of blues, jazz, acoustic soul and folk. On her first CD release, Bursie, who is also a self-taught guitarist, alternately rocks the electric blues (“Twiss L’il Sister”) or opts for quieter contemplation with violin and mandolin (“Holes in My Pockets”). For good measure, Bursie adds a pinch of spoken word and recurring yet forthright lyrics (“Aftermath/Thin Line,”) that reveal her unapologetic engagement with gender politics, pop culture, relationships and other modern-day issues. Featured on the disc are several guest musicians, including fellow Nietzsche’s regular Liz Abbott, former BPO conductor Arie Lipsky, and ex-10,000 Maniac Mary Ramsey, who opens Saturday’s show with John Lombardo.

Saturday, December 10 at 9pm. Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539) $5