MANKATO — Georgia folk singer Kate Morrissey makes it to the Midwest a couple of times per year. And every time she does, it’s something of a homecoming for her.

Morrissey, who will perform at the Coffee Hag tonight to promote her latest release “Nobody, too,” lives and works in musical hotbed Athens, Ga., but was born and raised in the Midwest.

She tours around the country and enjoys the audiences wherever she goes. But — and don’t tell the folks on the East Coast or southerners this — she sort of prefers the receptiveness of the Midwest crowd.

“In the Midwest,” she said from Georgia this week, “people always seem to be more open to new things coming through.”

“New” is just what people can expect from tonight’s show.

Morrissey’s fans have been accustomed to mellow, introspective and beautifully crafted tunes that spare listeners all the hubbub of overproduction that can plague other musicians. Morrissey, clearly, doesn’t need it. Her strengths lie in her songwriting, piano playing, and a voice remarkably reminiscent of Regina Spektor, brimming with the authenticity of a woman who truly knows the emotions of which she sings.

“It is a great adventure that brought you here,” her song “The Little Prince” goes, “Made me wonder how anyone could fall with such a lofty goal. It is a great adventure, you believed that. And now, I will love each star more, knowing you were on one, unable to differentiate. And I will love the sky more, knowing that it holds you and me.”

“The Little Prince” comes from Morrissey’s previous release, “A Girl in Winter.” Her new release, however, will give listeners a new look at the inspiration behind the music.

“The newer songs are much more playful,” she said. “‘Nagasaki’ (which can be found on her Web site, katemorrissey.com) shows how (my songwriting) is shifting.”

Morrissey does about 50 shows each year, which she squeezes into her busy schedule as a public speaking instructor at an Athens-area university. Eventually, though, she’d like to pursue music full time. But she won’t sacrifice her art to get more gigs.

She says she could make more money if she sang cover songs at four-hour bar gigs, but that’s not what she’s about. Instead, she’ll stick with venues full of people who are there for the music.

“It’s nice to play places like The Hag,” she said, “where people go to hear new things.”