Lorraine Leckie waited until she was 40 before diving headlong into the songwriting business, but she's since wasted little time since.

Canadian-born and Manhattan-based, Leckie has established a reputation as a memorable and stylistically ambitious tunesmith. Her songs and album projects essentially define the idea of artistic hop-scotch - bounding from delicate acoustic to sophisticated, Neil Finn-meets-Glenn Tilbrook pop to hell-melt hard rock.

In the latter guise, she's wonderfully supported by Her Demons, Leckie's longtime backing band featuring guitar badass Hugh Pool. The group just released a new album, "Rebel Devil Devil Rebel," and Leckie and Pool will drop by New London's Telegraph Records shop at noon Thursday to perform for The Day's "Live Lunch Break" concert series.

Veering deliciously between Cowboy Mouth, Crazy Horse and Lucinda Williams, Leckie and Pool will astound and amaze.

- RICK KOSTER

Live Lunch Break, noon Thursday, Telegraph Records, 19 Golden St., New London; Lorraine Leckie and Hugh Pool; free; theday.com.