New Faces: Shannon Whitworth

Sounds Like: Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Maines

Hometown: Brevard, N.C.

Current Single: 'Put Me Back'

Why We Dig Her: Although Shannon has moved away from straight bluegrass -- mixing hints of jazz, a bit of blues, a splash of rock and a dollop of country to her sound -- her heart still belongs to bluegrass. That's clear from the 13 songs on 'Water Bound,' her sophomore release on Thirty Tigers. You'll hear her smoky vocals -- something akin to Rickie Lee Jones meets the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines -- but also the slide guitar, mandolin, banjo and pedal steel sprinkled throughout. Although she was born in Virginia, Shannon and her family moved to South Carolina almost as soon as she was born. She now lives not far from Asheville, N.C., just where three rivers meet. That's the sanctuary from which most of her creativity springs.

That's just the way the single 'Put Me Back,' was born.

"It was really about the trials and tribulations of being in a relationship," Shannon tells The Boot. "How there is sort of conflict and resolution being with the person that you love. A lot of the song comes from personal experience and a lot of it come from hearing girlfriends vent. It was one of those therapeutic songs just had to get out."