Thanks to some talented musical friends, I’ve been fortunate to discover a cracking range of new musicians while living in New York. But none has stuck with me as much as Kate Davis.

I first heard her play at Bowery Electric about 18 months ago – and I was transfixed. She has this timeless voice that lilts over jazz tunes and soars through rock bass lines. I went home and liked her Facebook page immediately.

Last week she revealed she’d be playing at the Lincoln Center as part of Target Free Thursdays. The weekly event lets people hear top notch new musicians play at the David Rubenstein Atrium for free. The 7.30pm show is about an hour and 15 minutes long – and I reckoned it sounded like a great, chilled way to spend a Thursday night.

The Atrium is across the street from the main Lincoln Center square and fountain. I was happy to arrive to a room crowded with people – either those who loved her music or were shortly going to.

<< this made sense at the time

For a little over an hour, she played, sang and chatted. She’s had an eclectic musical education so her songs have touches of jazz, catchy pop and angrier rock – and they’re shared on a piano, double bass, bass or ukulele, along with her drummer and guitarist. In between, she charmed us with her self-deprecating manner.

Check out some of her songs on her Soundcloud page.

Some voice eh? It’s so clear when she sings live that you’re checking around to see who’s pressing play.

Target Free Thursdays is a great program and it’s a brilliant place to discover new talent. The acoustics are glorious and, while it gets busy, there’s enough space to get a good view, even if you’re standing at the back. They also let you in even if you miss the beginning.

Go! Watch! Listen! Check out Kate’s website here and click here for more information about Target Free Thursdays.