An artist on the brink of fame brings her intercultural style to Missouri Southern.

Martha Redbone will perform 7 p.m., Oct. 30, at Taylor Auditorium. The concert is being sponsored by Eccentrix and the Native American Student Association. Redbone will perform songs from her current album Home of the Brave, a reference to her Native American heritage.

Redbone is the product of a Native American mother (Blackfoot and Choctaw) and an African-American father. She is proud of her multi-racial heritage even after facing racism. Her stage name “redbone” is southern slang for a person of mixed black and Native-American heritage.

“I grew up being teased about it,” Redbone said in a review by Veronica Chambers. “Black was beautiful when I was growing up, but where did that leave me? I embrace Redbone now as my own definition of beauty.”

Brian Speer, manager of American Indian art and crafts at Eccentrix, has worked closely with NASA to bring Redbone to the area.

“It’s going to be a contemporary concert,” he said. “It’s not going to be along the traditional lines that a lot of folks might think, like flutes, drums or a pow-wow. She’s very contemporary, she’s like Britney Spears.”

Vocally she has been compared to Macy Gray, Sheryl Crow, Nikka Costas, India.arie and Norah Jones.

Her music is an eclectic multi-cultural collection that reflects her diverse heritage. Home of the Brave incorporates soul, hip-hop, jazz, folk-blues, funk, gospel and pop along with Native-American rhythms and themes. She categorizes her music as “native soul” and critics have compared it to U2, Marvin Gay, Al Green, Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix.

Redbone is a world-class performer. Her album focuses on her vocals, but she also plays guitar and piano, writes all of her songs, and produces her material via her company “Blackfeet Productions.”

Redbone’s honors and awards include 2002 Native-American Music Awards “Debut Artist of the Year,” “Best of New York” by NYRock.com and two nominations for “Just Plain Folks Awards 2003.”

The concert comes right before her late night debut on Jay Leno Oct. 31.

“We’re at the end of her long Home of the Brave run and then she’s onto new territory,” Speer said.

She said her influences include Prince and Sly and the Family Stone.

While some critics try to categorize Redbone, others refuse to limit her with a definition.

“This woman is a true original; the kind of artist who sets trends, as opposed to following them,” said music critic Larry Flick in an issue of Billboard Magazine.

Tickets are available for $10 with a student ID. Persons interested can call 206-9400 for information.