When I was kid I had to look up the word ‘chanteuse’ for a class project and was rather disappointed that it meant ‘a female singer’ I felt it sounded far more superior to mean just that.

I’ve therefore always considered the word pretentious and have been doubtful whenever a singer’s been referred to as a ‘chanteuse’ – I take it as code for “she’s nothing special so we’re using fancy French words to make you think she’s great”.

I saw Alita Dupray perform at Capone’s on Saturday night and was pleasantly surprised.

Most of the write-ups on Alita Dupray referred to her as a “young chanteuse”, that coupled with the fact that I’m not a big jazz fan I figured my Saturday night wasn’t going to be anything special but I had to eat and Capone’s is always fun.

We arrived right before the start of her first set and had front seats; I didn’t necessarily consider this a good thing initially, things could turn very miserable if I didn’t like the performance.

Thankfully, Alita and her band were amazing! I’m surprised I’d never heard of her before.

She has a smooth sultry voice and her routine is quite captivating, her music is a combination of blues and jazz. She had a relaxed infectious energy about her and a sexy confident air that’s evocative of different era – I imagined a Speakeasy.

The food wasn’t bad, I just wish the menu had more fresh seasonal offerings but the great music more than made up for it.

I can’t wait to see Alita and her band again!