At seven years old, most kids are still listening to their Raffi records. But that's when Montreal singer/songwriter Annabelle Chvostek made her professional singing debut with the Canadian Children's Opera Chorus. Seventeen years later, Chvostek followed that up with her first solo album, 1997's 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

The album immediately made waves on the folk circuit. Since then, she's released four solo albums, as well as been a member of Winnipeg's The Wailin' Jennys.

After two-and-a-half years of playing with the band, Chvostek, now 35, decided to call it quits last year and return to making solo albums. She says she has no regrets about her work with the group, but felt constrained by her commitment to it.

"I guess what started happening for me is we were just constantly on the go, and our show was very kind of refined, and I loved it, but at the same time as a songwriter and as a creative person there was not a lot of room for my songwriting. If I'm not getting creative I just get depressed."

So Chvostek "threw all caution to the wind, and gave it up to be more of a crazy artist." The fruits of this decision can be found on her new album, Resilience. The record is composed of roots songs about starting over and persevering, and features a collaboration with folk legend Bruce Cockburn.

The idea of doing a song with Cockburn was in the back of her mind after she sang harmony for him at a folk festival - but she admits to being nervous when she actually called him up.

"My voice went about three octaves higher. But he was super kind and really into it from the beginning. He came to Montreal and we did a bunch of writing exercises, drank some wine, and wrote a song."

That song, Driving Away, is one of the many songs on the album in which Chvostek mixes her personal views with observations about the world around her.

"It feels like a natural evolution from where I've come from. I've always spoken from some kind of experience, or some kind of working through of things. It was interesting to integrate the broader reflections into that."

Her current tour sees her playing smaller venues, and out-of-the-way places, including The Pas. With lots of 'road songs' on Resiliance, this could provide some fuel for future albums.

"It's a lovely, intimate way to share music. And also a neat way to see places I hadn't imagined."