For singer and songwriter; Cecile Doo – Kinogue, an awkward moment containing a blatant racist remark turned into an opportunity.

” I had finished a show in Montreal. ” Says the resident of the Plateau. ” This guy walks up to me and tells me how much he loved my music. Then he says – you remind me of Aunt Jemima. At first, I wasn’t sure if he meant it in a bad way. I asked him if he knew the bad connotations behind the Aunt Jemima reference and what it represents in black America. To my surprise, not only did he understand, it turns out – it was his mindset. This turned into a twenty minute conversation filled with racism.”

Cecile, angry at first, decided to take the experience and turn it into io a tune. A bluesy song with a ‘ Papa was a Rollin’ Stone’ kinda groove. Given the fact the album is French except for one song, the lyrics – ‘Leave me the fuck alone’ in the song Aunt Jemima – resonate like Pavlov’s dogs on cue.

” I want to send a messge.” Says Cecile. ” A note to everyone saying in this day and age – a thinking which should not be here still exists. It is a song to awaken people. To ask them to open their minds and not be fearful of what they don’t understand.”

Originally from Cameroon with stints in the States and France, Kinogue considers herself a Montrealer. A city that she fell in love with in 1995 and like a lover who cannot be tamed, a relationship developed with passion leading the way. A passion which fits well with her french roots.

” I’m half English and half French. A real mutt.” Admits Cecile while sipping a beer under a cool Autumn breeze in downtown Montreal. “My first disc, Freedom Calls – was English and was very personal. That disc was about my internal demons and this one is a social message.”

Cecile’s third album, a disc which is being recorded amongst a whirlwind of gigs and publicity for the current album, will also be English and contain a ‘melange’ of social issues.

As corny as it may sound, music knows no language in the case of Cecile and her backing band on the album Gris. A disc which is scheduled to be launched tonight at Le Petit Campus on Prince Arthur.

It is a superb blend of rhythms – hot and cold. From sultry ‘ make love to candlelight’ lyrics and grooves to slow rockers and folky guitars – Cecile’s songs ease the pressure off a weary listener. Who needs wine when ‘Gris’ is the entree to a meal filled with seduction. Foreplay with a message based in the roots of all music.

“I have the cd launch tonight.” Says Doo – Kinogue.” Thursday I’m in Sudbury and then a few more gigs. I will be in Montreal for a bit then I hit the road with my excellent band.”

According to this woman whose demons have included her sexuality and alcohol addictions; ‘something magical’ happened when Gris was bring recorded.

“We would all be in the studio, working on the compositions and I would say to everyone just go with.your feeling – see what happens. It was as if everyone’s antennae was on the same frequency. It was awesome …!”

The thing which has changed in Cecile ‘s life both on and off stage since the release of her first album is trust.

“In the past, I had to be in control which essentially is a lack of trust. Now, I am much more receptive of accepting people’s ideas. My life to this point had made me that way. Right now, along with my wife and the great musicians and friends I have – I am in a great place.”

A listener and fan of music will also be in a ‘truthful’ place idling with Cecile’s batch of ‘ testaments’. Aka. – songs from the heart.

“If I can change people’s ideas and get them to realize that accepting people’s differences will open a wonderful world through my music, then fantastic. In the meantime – I’ll keep trying …”

Come and see Cecile perform tonight at Le Petit Campus at 8pm.