Kyla Bowen La Grange is still walking home when she returns my call at near enough 8pm on Tuesday evening.

I’d been on the trail of the deliciously talented, singer/songwriter since stumbling across one of her tracks about three months ago on a compilation CD I was reviewing.

Said track, When I Want To, was so good I immediately played it again. And again. And again for good measure.

By the end of the second listen I was singing along…badly. This, as I think I’ve said before, is the acid test of any great song – addictivity, if you like.

From the first bar to the last I was gripped; enthralled in a haunting, emotive, rollercoaster of a tune held aloft by a voice of startling pitch and clarity.

I explain this as best I can via our tinny, perilous mobile connection.

“Wow, thanks so much for your interest,” says the 22-year-old Cambridge philosophy graduate, battling with the passing West Watford traffic and near persistent gusts of wind.

The hint of surprise in the confident, well-spoken voice betrays a refreshing modesty behind a girl we all may hear a lot more from in the years to come.

Currently working with a couple of top producers in the studio, the former Rickmansworth School girl has caused more than a stir in recent months in the pubs and clubs of greater London, winning solid reviews collecting a strong Myspace following to boot.

It’s a journey that started at school but really took-off in the quaint clubs and bars of the Cambridge live music scene.

“I’d always loved music because I grew up with it,” explains Kyla. “My parents would always be playing music around the house or taking us to concerts and the opera.

“I’m actually classically trained but my singing teacher would go mad if she heard me now!

“I played a bit at school but Cambridge was where I first went out and played people my own work. I don’t think it was very good but it got me started.”

Self-doubt seems to be something of a recurring theme with Kyla – a likable quality in someone so evidently talented. Even her most popular track (the one that got me hooked) is not immune.

“It’s not really a track I enjoy that much any more. I wrote it a couple of years ago when I was first starting to write and I’ve played it so much. I suppose I almost forget what it’s about because of that.”

So what is it, and indeed the rest of her work, about? The answer (rather at odds with such a likable demeanor) is twofold: love and the darker side of relationships.

“I can’t write happy songs. I’ve tried but I can’t do it. I can’t lie in a song or pretend to feel something I don’t. I just write about my own state of mind.”

Whatever the motives the end product works. More than works, in fact. A quick trip to Myspace to sample a couple of equally charming offerings should tell you that much.

With influences as diverse as Elliot Smith, Bright Eyes, Leonard Cohen, and Laura Marling, Kyla Bowen La Grange is more than just another girl with a guitar. So much more.

Kyla is taking a break from gigging to polish her sound in the studio with some interested producers and will be back in September. Look out for further news here.