The last two editions of Songbirds presented by Production One featured two artistes who are at different ends of the spectrum.

Last month, there was Glenda Collens, a jazz singer who was classically trained abroad and had to fight a debilitating illness during that period, an illness which threatened her ability to sing.

Last Wednesday, Production One presented gospel recording artiste Nisa Nora. She is from the younger generation of artistes and some years ago she began her professional career as Genisa St Hillaire. Both concerts have taken place at Cascadia hotel in St Ann's which is the new venue for the Songbirds series of concerts put on by Production One.

Interestingly, both artistes kicked off their sessions with the same song—"Golden" by Jill Scott; Nora did this in her first session and Collens in her second session.

Of course Collens is the more experienced artiste but they both possess great voices.

Nora draws her audience into her performance, talking and singing and sometimes playing the keyboard. Collens is more "old skool" doing standard jazz pieces like "Take Five" and "Nature Boy".

Collens makes no apologies for improvising with local music while doing these classics. You heard strains of "Luv Up" in "Take Five" and she sang "every time ah pass you look at me" in Nina Simone's "I Put A Spell On You".

Last month, Collens showed her strength and determination during her performance as it was done one day after her mother, Joyce Thomas, died. She told the audience that is what her mother would have wanted and she was just carrying out her wishes.

Her husband Shane Collens is also a pillar of strength for her; he is also a member of the band that backs her during her performances.

The audience at the Sky View Lounge, Cascadia enjoyed every minute of Collens' performance as she did songs like ""Crazy", "Signed Sealed Delivered", "Too Late", "Long Walk" and "Till You Come Back To Me".

Last Wednesday the audience heard Nora project very powerfully. Her chorus was Sabrina Gonzales and Latisha Sylvester who provided great harmonies.

Nora's repertoire included songs like "Long Walk", "Officially Missing You", "Love is You", "What To Do", "Diary", "Déjà Vu" and "A Woman's Worth".

She was joined by her sister Reisha St Hilliare Williams as they performed a duet on Richard Nappy Meyers' "Old Time Days".

In Nora's second session she told the audience there was where they would see the saviour of her life. It was an original set which featured songs she composed in the gospel genre.

Her first song was "Breathe" a single she released on July 1, 2010; she continued with "Journey/Magnify", "Always", "Joy", "Lord We Need Your Love", "That Name" and "Running Back/Breathe".