Samantha Savage-Smith is 23 years old.

That’s not remarkable; there are plenty of young, female singer-songwriters out there. What is remarkable, however, is that someone with so few years has managed to catch the ear of two of the Calgary music scene’s most venerable tastemakers.

After hearing Savage-Smith at the Alberta Music Sessions earlier this year, Kerry Clarke, artistic director of the Calgary Folk Music Festival, booked her. Musician and producer Lorrie Matheson saw her play and not only offered to record her album, but now plays in her live band (albeit temporarily).

“I thought, ‘Yeah she can sing, yeah she’s cute.’ Then I saw her play and she was like this old soul, that’s stuck in this young girl’s body,” says Matheson. “When you get down and listen to what she’s singing about, there’s some living going on there. She’s experienced a lot and she puts it in her songs. She says stuff that I’m afraid to say. It’s not like this meaningless high school poetry that rhymes. It’s deep personal stuff.”

But Savage-Smith doesn’t just write beyond her years — she sounds older than she is. Anyone who heard the tracks that hit the Internet last month was blown away by the powerhouse vocals anchoring the songs. One listen and it’s obvious that you can’t lump Savage-Smith in with the rest of the next-gen Lilith Fair wannabes.

“When you say you are a singer-songwriter, they expect you to sound a certain way, like a folk singer,” she says. “People brush you off because they think you’re kind of boring. You have to prove yourself, and I’m dead serious about it.”

That comment is delivered with a giggle, but there’s nothing false about it; the only thing more surprising than her overflowing talent is her earnestness. There’s no master plan. There isn’t even any indication that she’s thought about where to take her career. Not that she isn’t thoughtful — she’s just so good at what she does, it seems effortless. So when she releases her debut full-length in early 2011, it will no doubt be the next step in a very exciting career.

“I want to tour, I want to play lots of shows,” she says. “I want to keep writing songs. I don’t really want to stop. Ever.”