Emily White's sophomore release "12 Ways to Live," delves into new territory for the Chicago singer/songwriter. She's still playing her signature guitar lines and singing the disarmingly honest lyrics that have made her popular with fans throughout the country, but the choices in production showcase the songs in an entirely different light than her 2005 EP release "Every Pulse." The new album takes a decidedly more indie approach to the folk-rock style that has garnered White attention in songwriting circles. This songwriter is also no stranger to the stage. She has been performing throughout the Midwest and Northeast over the past two years, sharing her introspective songs and candid stage presence with audiences from Omaha to Miami.

Whitney Mann. Born in the backseat of desolate farm land and small congregations, Whitney grew up playing with guns and listening to Willie Nelson. She tickled her first set of ivories when she was seven and strummed her first guitar at nine. She wanted to be the female version of Neil Diamond ('the greatest'). But that was years ago. Now all she wants is to be your Folgers-- ('the best part of wakin' up'). She is a real down home kind of girl, looking to provide real down home kind of music that offers a real down home kind of connection to, as she says, 'the simple folk'. Her songs are thoughtful and genuine, yet playful all at once. She is a story-teller at heart, and even if the stories aren't 'feel good', they are still true to the life that surrounds us.

With her cool blend of alt-country and blues, Whitney Mann's rockin' jams are as sweet as her ballads: wide-eyed, intense, seductive. Her songs ache like her broken heart. They will ache like yours when she's through. Veiled beneath her whiskey-tinged voice and stream-lined lyrics exist the lives of farmhands, wayward criminals, sluts. Concealed beneath them are the stories of her life. And beneath them even further; beneath the pound of the bass drum and the slide of the guitar, beneath the walking bass line and the echo of reverberating claps, exists Whitney Mann's philosophy on life. If you listen closely you can hear it.