A sophisticated and mature singer and songwriter with a disarming little-girl voice, Sue Fink has honed her craft on the local folk scene, performing regularly at venues such as Uncommon Ground. That woodshedding, coupled with a tastefully fleshed-out sound on her new album "Thoughts at an Intersection," are part of what make her stand out from the many other musicians gently strumming their acoustic guitars.

The real appeal, however, is Fink's distinctive, off-kilter worldview, as witnessed in songs such as "Alternate Universe" ("In my alternate universe/Things only get better, not worse") and the anti-corporate-naming-rights anthem "Formerly Chicago" ("And in the city formerly known as Chicago/In either Nike or Reebok Field/I parted the Starbucks flowers/And in the tall GM grasses I kneeled"), written even before the city's tallest building became the Willis Tower.

Fink celebrates the release of her second D.I.Y. disc at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Orphanage, 643 W. 31st , or her songs and videos can be sampled on the Web at www.suefink.com and www.myspace.com/chicagosuefink.