Lianne La Havas loves you, Vancouver

"I found myself in a second-hand guitar," declares U.K. singer Lianne La Havas, in one of her best songs.

That's a growing category, as proved Tuesday night (March 26) at the Rio Theatre, in her nearly sold-out Western Canada debut. Above, she shows off one of several funky, pawn shop-style instruments in a solo rendition of "No Room for Doubt", a gorgeous ballad originally recorded as a duet with Willy Mason. 

Here, La Havas emotes with the help of her custom-made James Trussart metal-bodied guitar (with matching nail polish). She's a superb guitarist, favouring heavy, flat-wound strings, open tunings, and clean, crisp sound that drives almost all her tunes.

At this point, the London-based singer-songwriter, only 23, declares that she's newly in love. "And it's with you, Vancouver!"