True, the audience at Whelan’s pub where she performs isn’t large, but that has more to do with the intimate scale of the venue than with her. Nussey is the kind of singer it seems you can count on to strike a chord with Canadians; she has a folksy-jazzy style akin to Sarah Slean and a distinct and powerful voice.

Between songs, though, she thanks the audience as if they’re doing her a favour by applauding and you wouldn't guess that she's been performing for eight years. The quirky charm and spirit of her persona are almost at odds with the depth of feeling she convey in her singing. 

Nussey shines the most singing her own material, and not only because of her personal investment in them – she just writes really good songs (maybe because she's been at it since she was seven). Nussey writes songs that showcase her range and are as hooky as anything you'd hear on the radio without compromising their emotional integrity. 

The best of her songs, "I Used To" and "Take Me Home," are both from her latest album, Paint and Turpentine. Most of the other tracks are quality easy-listening, free from the kind of characterless filler that seems to plague most albums of major-label artists. Indeed, plenty of character of the comic kind is guaranteed with the inclusion of "The Futon Song" and "The Badminton Song." 

Songs like those are always audience pleasers; but the sing-along inducing "Jumbo-Tron Song" you have to go in person to see. It'll make you a fan. 

Angie Nussey performs 9:00 every Thursday at Whelan's Gate Irish Pub, 1663 Bloor St, West. Her fifth album, Little Tragedies, is coming out at the end of August. For more information, check out her website, angienussey.com