A lyrical poetess of the first order and leader of the nu-soul movement, Angie Stone doesn't go for the trendy commercial approach.

"What I do is basic soul music - no frills added," she says firmly with a gentle smile.

The international record-buying public discovered this when they turned Angie's 1999 platinum debut, Black Diamond, into a global best seller, spurred by the success of her hit single No More Rain.

When admirers asked for second helpings, Stone generously served-up a lyrically raw and emotionally gripping follow-up album, called Mahogany Soul.

Filled with the kind of tell-it-like-it-is musical statements embraced by Angie and fellow soul sisters, such as Macy Gray, Jill Scott, Mary J Blige and Alicia Keyes, it was met with huge critical acclaim.

It is easy to trace Angie's honest and straightforward music philosophy back to her childhood.

Her father performed in a local gospel quartet and Angie joined the choir "when I was knee-high to a duck's tail. I've been singing and writing poetry ever since".

Listening to R&B legends such as Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield and performing their songs in her bedroom mirror, the teenage Angie was destined to pursue a career in music even though at one point "I was offered a few basketball scholarships to college".

A self-taught keyboard player, Angie took what she calls "a lot of dead-end jobs" to raise the money to make her first demos.

After a stint with a local trio, the word was out and Angie soon found herself working with futuristic rappers Mantronix and superstar Lenny Kravitz. Angie was also a key musical collaborator on D'Angelo's platinum-plus 1995 debut album, Brown Sugar.

She worked on several tracks with her former lover, who she still describes as her "musical soulmate".

D'Angelo was one of the luminaries who contributed to Black Diamond, collaborating with her on the track Everyday.

The success of Black Diamond was a long time coming for the 35-year-old.

"I had been preparing for years and by the time Black Diamond started to take off and No More Rain hit, I was ready for the world."

Balancing the demands of being the single mother of a young son and a teenage daughter, Angie hit the road.

A hectic year included a European tour which gave Angie another emotional high: "Having people not of my race embracing my music and me as a human being was overwhelming.

"It made me cry with gratitude and made me determined that I would work twice as hard on my second album."

The result of that intense hard work was Mahogany Soul, an amazing album which reinforces Angie's emergence as a one-of-a-kind artist who is carving her own niche in the world of contemporary music.

Ain't no doubt, in the realm of new-millennium soul sisters, Angie's the real thing.

Support comes from The Reelists. Tickets cost £18 or £21. Call the box office on 01273 709709.