Burgess, who was a professor in the school of health and community studies at Algonquin from 1986 to 2009, candidly stated her responsibilities were “to teach and stay out of trouble.”

Since leaving the school, Burgess has dedicated herself and her time to her new career.

“I have had many careers in my life,” said Burgess. “I certainly don’t make the money that I made at Algonquin, but I am a lot happier because I love the creative approach to anything in life.”

This love of creativity played a role in her teaching as well.

“I was the kind of teacher that was not a lecturer I was really interactive with students. I gave students a lot of creative relay with their approach to subject matter.”

Burgess describes Play Me Sweet as “quite a mix of country, blues, rock and folk and just has a great retro feel to it.”

She credits much of the album to her producer; six time Juno award winner Keith Glass.

“I am absolutely thrilled he did this. He worked by my side for the last year in order for this record to be produced.” According to Burgess, he offered “just a wealth of knowledge and was a pretty decent mentor for sure.”

Burgess has covered a Tom Waits song on each of her albums, and this one is no exception.

“He is someone I have great respect for and has certainly been a great influence, and on every album I cover one of his songs and on this one we have ‘Time.’”

Burgess’ experience nursing and teaching has given her some real life experience to write about; she mentioned specifically working in the Whitby psychiatric unit as a nurse as a source of inspiration “in terms of seeing how people can bring themselves up with just immense difficulties to cope with. It’s not dark, quite the opposite of the dark, its more being able to raise yourself up.”

Since her first album, Pour Me a Song, Burgess has been involved with Patio Records, a record company that donates money to creating gardens and patios for cancer treatment centres and hospitals across North America.

“It’s the kind of thing that is not funded by the ministry, it’s extra, and there are many people that find hospitals really sedentary and as much as we try to make them comfortable, it’s still a hospital,” said Burgess.

She will be continuing this commitment by playing the 7^th annual Healing Music Fest on Nov. 22 at the Bronson Centre. The show will also include Lynn Miles, Amanda Rheaume, Ana Miura and with special guest stars Michael Burgess and Keith Glass.

One-hundred percent of the show’s proceeds will be donated to the completion of the Mary Eagan Garden at the Queensway Carlton Hospital.

“This would be a nice place, particularly if it’s enclosed, for patients to just sit and enjoy some peace and some beauty as opposed to always hearing a machine,” said Burgess. “It’s just a really tranquil place that you don’t see in hospitals and we are trying to get them built to make peoples lives just a little bit more comfortable while they are in the hospital.”

You can catch another Missy Burgess show on Nov. 19 at the Westboro Masonic Hall where Burgess and friends will be celebrating the release of Play Me Sweet. The show is being put on by Spirit of Rasputin’s and will also feature Keith Glass.

You can buy Burgess’ music at Missyburgess.com, the Ottawa Folklore Centre, the CD warehouses on Merivale and in Kanata and Compact Disc locations.