She may only be 16 years old, but Massachusetts native Sonya Kitchell talks with the assurance of a musician twice her age. It's a couple of days after Kitchell played a live showcase to a largely music-industry crowd in a tiny Shibuya jazz bar, following the recent Japan-only release of her debut album, "Words Came Back to Me." The album remains off the shelves in the rest of the world due to record company wrangling, but Kitchell brushes off the delay nonchalantly as something she's "not supposed to talk about."

Clearly, the young singer has learned a few industry tricks, having been on the road with veterans like Taj Mahal and Richie Havens. At the interview, held at her Japanese record company's office in Tokyo, the only sign of her age is the additional presence of Kitchell's mother, Gayle -- a graphic designer who's come along to keep a watchful eye on the proceedings.

"Words Came Back to Me," co-produced by Steve Addabbo of Suzanne Vega fame, is a mature set of largely acoustic folk-soul songs penned by Kitchell and delivered over a lithe jazz backing. At its core are the teen's smoky, somersaulting and remarkably assured vocals. It's the kind of album that could be slipped into the car CD player on a family outing and no one would complain: not Dad who digs jazz and "adult contemporary pop"; not Mom, who favors female folk like Joni Mitchell; not older brother who is into sensitive singer-songwriters like Nick Drake; and not little sis who's looking for something beyond manufactured teen-pop sensations.