Bess Rogers / Lelia / Keppie Coutts

Stunning in its simplicity, Bess Rogers's new EP, Travel Back, possesses immeasurable potential. From the dark, compelling "Bulldozer" to the rousing exuberance of "I Don't Worry," this latest record encapsulates everything that's great about her approach to songwriting. Not content with simply producing good tunes, Rogers continuously challenges herself to produce something distinctive and recognizable as her own.

Lelia Broussard's career has been one of a constantly evolving cottage industry, built upon a determined work ethic and belief that the fans are what matters most. With over 100,000 fans across her MySpace pages (she has a few of them) and a growing YouTube popularity (millions of views), Broussard has been very consistent about where she believes the heart of her music career is: her relationship with her fans.

Keppie is immersed and reveling in the new wave of folk fusion—an eclectic melding of acoustic-based song that steps inside jazz, soul, and quirky pop. Multi-Grammy Award-winning artist John Mayer heard a new tune of Keppie’s ("Waiting for the Avalanche") and within a week had taken it into the studio to record; it appears on her 2009 release, The Ordinary World. She performs with the fiery consequence of Ani DiFranco, with the sultry eloquence of Norah Jones, prompting the Boston Globe to write that "Coutts's songs marry soul and folk so gorgeously, you'll cheer when they get stuck on endless repeat on the jukebox in your brain."