Kalie Shorr's strength is an arrow-straight recognition of who she is as a singer and songwriter. With Slingshot the 2017 Taste of Country RISER offers five tightly packaged pop-country songs that will hook your heart.

She also leaves you wanting more. "Fight Like a Girl," a hit on SiriusXM and streaming sites in 2016, is the song that packs a true emotional punch. The others flutter around matters of the heart, with strong hooks and clever phrasing making them standouts. Likely single "Nothin' New" is the best of the bunch. It's a relationship song that spells poignant with a capital "-OIGNANT."

"Just being honest / Don't matter what you call it / The sun still shines, the sky's still blue / You don't want me and I love you / But that ain't nothin' new," she sings in the chorus.

"He's Just Not That Into You" is the same story told from a best friend's point of view, while "Love Like That" finds Shorr playing hero, kicking her no-good boy to the curb. "Odds Are" cranks up the production, but the focus is forever on Shorr's lyrics during Slingshot, as it should be. This contagious group of five songs wastes little time in introducing fans to a future star, and she never deviates from what she's best at.

Key Tracks: "Love Like That," "Nothin' New," "Fight Like a Girl"

Did You Know?: In high school, Shorr fronted a Nirvana cover band.

Listen to Kalie Shorr's "Nothin' New"

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