A vocal-chameleon, Grammy Award nominee Ruthie Foster does gospel like Mavis Staples, soul like Sam Cooke and a capella like Aretha Franklin.

With an onstage presence that's all charm, chat and good humour, and a drop-dead gorgeous voice, she's much adored for creating refreshing and revelatory renditions of songs by artists as diverse as Adele, the Black Keys and Johnny Cash. Even better, she doesn't shy away from sharing some of her own emotionally-charged tunes.

When she was last in Auckland, Ruthie opened for BB King and scored a standing ovation from a packed-out crowd at The Civic. She also dropped a big hint that she'd love to be invited back.

Auckland Arts Festival is shouting from the rooftops that Ruthie is back and, this time, she's the star attraction. For one-night only Ruthie and her phenomenal three-piece, all-female band bring the full-on power of their brassy, bluesy tones to Auckland.

Come along and welcome Ruthie for what promises to be a fantastic night.

# In a nutshell: Gutsy vocals, girl-power, spirited blues.