What's the recipe for Angie Heimann? Start out with fresh, free-range lyrics. Add sweet ripe vocals. Throw in a heaping helping of arpeggiated guitar, and a pinch of endearing stage presence. Place on a well-lit stage and enjoy.

Though she's new on the scene as a full time folkstress, Heimann began writing and strumming at age 13, when her dad taught her "Puff the Magic Dragon" on guitar. After graduating from Miami University with a focus in creative writing and women's studies, Angie took her guitar out of its case for good and put her writing skills to work.

Since then, she has released three albums: "Homeslices" in 2003, "Substantial Snacks" in 2001 and "Cinnamon Bones" in 2000. Along with providing a special treat for her audiences to take home, Angie's albums have begun to win a bit of critical acclaim. In October 2003, Angie's songs "Giving Tree" and "Ruby Red Shoes" (from "Homeslices") made the finals of the South Florida Folk Festival. "Cinnamon Bones" was nominated by Just Plain Folks in 2001 for best new folk album of the year. Angie's song "Butterfly," about a woman regrowing her wings after the ending of a relationship, won third place in the folk/country category of the Oklahoma Songwriters Association songwriting competition in 2001.

So what is it about Angie's songs that make them so special? For one, Angie's lyrics offer the diversity of a nine-course meal- they are savory yet nutritious. Angie sings about every-day topics: a bad haircut, a childhood memory of her parents' divorce, her love for a small town, and her little bladder blues. Angie's fundamental beliefs- that people are good at heart, that life is short and precious, and that true loving is not what they say it is on TV or most radios stations- come through as plainly as potatoes in her songs.

And what about her live performance? A Kent, OH native, Angie started out playing the northeast Ohio circuit of colleges, festivals, bars and coffee shops. After satisfying the locals with some scrumptious tunes, Angie and her guitar ventured out across the states to offer a taste to the rest of the country to play at colleges, clubs and festivals. In the process, she's selling CD's, receiving air play on folk radio, earning songwriting awards and establishing a fan base of listeners who know they've discovered something novel and nutritious.

In a world overrun by pop radio, which doles out songs much like fast food chains serve up burgers and fries, Angie Heimann's music is a fresh, organic treat.