JACKIE Ayres smiles when asked if she ever imagined her breakout hit Red Hot would have generated such a buzz on the local music scene , especially after she and backing band Last Rights almost literally raised the roof off during their recent high-octane performance at the Bermuda Folk Club.

Jackie regularly performs with Bermudian guitar guru Dennis Eldridge in an unofficial duo known as Raising Cain.

They have been formally together for about six months but their professional collaborations date back several years.

Dennis recalled how he first met the girl with the "golden pipes".

"I had met Jackie at the Folk Club about seven years ago and she has been a member there for quite a while and we have performed together on a few occasions," he said. "I worked with her on and off and I have been working with her again for the past year.'

In addition to her belting out tunes at the BFC, Jackie has also performed at Chewstick and praised it as a venue where one can collaborate with fellow performing artists.

Jackie, who hails from Middlesbrough, came from England with her husband, a computer technician. Dennis, a local chap, has played in the band Last Rights for 13 years as well pursuing any number of side projects.

Jackie had done some pub singing back in the UK, but didn't start seriously pursuing song writing until she arrived in Bermuda.

She recalls a (now) humourous story of how she started her singing career.

"I once won a karaoke competition when I was 19 when I belted out the theme tune to the movie Flash Dance. I was in Ibiza with a girlfriend and we were low on funds and hungry. Needless to say we weren't starving after I won the competition and that sort of started my singing career."

Known for performing cover tunes, Jackie decided the time was right and began to write her own material and according to her Red Hot was going to be on the lips of the listening audience.

"I started writing back in 2000. Dennis had left the island at that point and I was introduced to the late Paul Gibbons," she said. "We worked on some songs including one that was my favourite called Heart Undercover. I had started out doing cover tunes with Dennis and I was the opening act for Mark Benoit and things took off from there."

Red Hot was originally written and recorded in 2003. Later it was remixed with more of a rock feel at A Different Drummer Studio.

"I thought we needed Paul Gibbons' acoustic feel to the song as opposed to an electric guitar and I liked what I heard and I want to thank Paul and the guys for doing a fantastic job," said Jackie. "I wanted a big song, especially after hearing Robbie Williams' song Let Me Entertain You and I wanted to do a similar tune which would be just as big! I was determined to make Red Hot a hit. Another song that we're working on is called Wonderland, which has a retro element to it and it has a good hook to it.'

Not one to merely rely on the words of friends and a growing fanbase, Jackie stepped up her game and participated in a three-day songwriting workshop. "I went on a song writing retreat organised by Richard Bassett and three industry people from Los Angeles, namely Jason Blume, Gilli Moon and Steve Morale.

"That kicked me into action and to meet other local performers and being in the rooms where we are developing our craft and meeting others with similar interests and goals and I had the opportunity to meet with Bermuda-based songwriter Dr. Matthew Joseph, who has won a number of awards for his original compositions."

Among Jackie's latest projects is a collaboration with the performer known as Blac. Jackie heaped kudos upon Blac, describing him as very talented and an up and coming artist.

"We wrote a song together and I will record with Calvin Bussy Dread Jones," she said. "I am a big Madonna fan but I am not scared to work in other musical genres. I tend to lean toward strong dance tunes, but why limit yourself to one genre? I am seriously thinking about doing a reggae song."

Jackie's musical prowess has also caught the ear of guitarist Rob Lansing. The former guitarist for the groundbreaking Los Angeles punk band The Dickies, Lansing boasts an impressive resume and ranks among the performing elite.

Presently working in Bermuda as a teacher and serving as the lead guitarist for Last Rights, Lansing has helped Jackie fine-tune her song, Mystified, which she performed at the Folk Club recently.

"Rob is fantastic and I hear him do a version of it with a sort of Spanish style and it is awesome! But my wish is to form a band and get out there and perform. So far I have about a year's worth of material and hope to have my debut album out in 2007', Jackie exclaimed.

While she doesn't have any material gracing the shelves at the music shop, one can listen to it online at www.myspace.com/jackiedennis.