It's notable that the best thing about Sue Foley's latest CD, Where the Action Is, is how she pulled away from the blues while still incorporating them. That's called growth - just ask the Rolling Stones about it.

"I think," agrees Foley, "that's the hardest thing for the blues today, is bringing it to the forefront of modern life and incorporating our culture now. Older fans resist it when someone throws in hip-hop or loops in. 'OHHH, that's not the blues,' they say. But the blues is about culture and people's lives and feelings and hardships.

"I kinda 'get' people who are breaking the boundaries, like Rick Holmstrom and Colin Linden. You can't act like it's 1955 and you can only play with Fender tube amps."

Indeed. Compared to the woeful, cotton-field hollers of early America, the usual plugged-in fare of modern working-class blues bars is basically techno music. Both country and rock burst from the rivets of the old four-bars. Why, then, should anyone resist further evolution?

Regal-looking Foley, now 35, has released an impressive seven albums in her decade on the entertainment pages, from her kitschy, sassy debut, Young Girl Blues, to Action. She's the very first act playing (today at 5:30) at this year's Edmonton's Labatt Blues Festival, a growing endeavour of its own down at the Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park, and the only festival cool enough to casually remind you to "pinch and pocket" your smoke butts in the first few paragraphs of its guide. Yeah!

But back to our story. As an Ottawa teenager, Foley backwards-navigated her way into the blues, following the path in reverse through the Clash, the Stones, the early Stones and finally, "Keef's" hero, Muddy Waters. A live show by James Cotton sealed the deal. She started a band in Vancouver, then what she saw at the time as her big break came when she moved to Austin to study with Clifford Antone, releasing albums under him. She had a son, got divorced and moved back to Ottawa, and is now working hard on the East Coast circuit.

In June, she finally got to meet her hero Solomon Burke at L.A.'s Dohenny Blues Fest, and she's looking forward to playing with him tomorrow at Calgary's upstart Blues and Roots Festival tomorrow night (check out the truly killer lineup, including Emmylou Harris, Los Lobos and Buddy Guy and the Jayhawks at bluesandroots.com).

"I'm kind of stoked for that festival. We've had a really nice summer, overall. I'm heading to Europe in the fall and I'm already planning my next record. It's gonna be different. I can't divulge too much. I don't know what you'd call it. It just gets to the point where you get sick of being labelled, you know?"

Foley's gender, for example, usually comes up, but on the subject she's relaxed, bringing it back to tradition.

"The wonderful thing about the blues is you can get old and your fan base doesn't look at your clothes and look at your figure your whole life. I was always into older artists. Their wisdom was something that got my attention, it always meant more than my story," she laughs.

"I think the blues are great that way. You just keep an eye on your career and make little adjustments. It's a good genre to be in. I feel, like, kind of sorry for the pop artists. They're just coming and going so fast now, you can't keep track. You just hear the negative stuff on their way down. That's too bad, too. I really think people deserve more than that from music.

"Most people don't get exposed to really cool music. It bugs me, because I know it's out there. I mean, back to Solomon Burke. His last record (Don't Give Up On Me) is one of the top records of last year. And I basically heard nothing in the media about Paul Westerberg's new album. I'm, like, God, go out and educate yourselves, people!"

You heard the lady. So let's wrap this up. As Foley moved backwards through music history during her teens, she heard a song that stuck, so much so, she covered it: Stupid Girl by the Rolling Stones.

"I just thought it was funny, very tongue in cheek, not to be taken too seriously or overanalysed. And let's face it, that shallow girl does exist out there."

But not here, for Foley is clearly made of deeper stuff.