By DENNY DYROFF, Staff Writer

This weekend, two musical acts with roots in Georgia will be performing in Philadelphia. But don't expect southern rock.

Kate Melua, who will headline a show at the Tin Angel on Saturday night, was born in Georgia but spent most of her years in London.

The Shin, performing at the Painted Bride on Sunday night, was formed in Georgia but now is based in Stuttgart, Germany.

Both acts still return regularly to Georgia - the country in Eastern Europe, not the state in America -- to their hometown of Tbilisi. It's the capitol of the young country that was formerly part of the Soviet Union.

Melua's first hit single in the U.K. was "The Closest Thing To Crazy," a song that it entered the charts at number 10 back in 2003. Her debut album, "Call Off the Search," was released in Britain in November 2003, and in January 2004 it hit number 1 in the album charts.

Melua is touring North America in support of her new album, "Pictures" (Dramatico Entertainment). Like her previous records, the disc was produced and arranged by Mike Batt.

"We recorded 'Pictures' about a year and a half ago," Melua said during a phone interview. "It's my first album that has a bit of a concept to it - a feeling of films and movies. Mike and I kind of naturally both came to the same decision that we wanted to have a concept.

"We decided to make music inspired by Quentin Tarantino films. Then the record took on a life of its own. It got more generic about film. It's a loose strain that subconsciously holds the songs together.

"We recorded it at Mike's studio in the countryside near Surrey (in England) and did it all in three weeks. We had a lot to choose from and always went with the best songs."

This tour will be the first time songs from "Pictures" are performed live.

"This is only my third tour of America," Melua said. "They've kept me in Europe because I've been doing well there. And touring the U.S. is hard because it takes a lot of time.

"I don't really like to test songs on the road. I prefer to stay with the songs I know will work.

"With new material, my philosophy is that every song has to work well on acoustic guitar before I record it. For this tour, it's just me and my two guitars - electric and acoustic. It's crazy but I'm loving it. It's nice to have complete control on the stage."

The Shin, which is just now being introduced to audiences in North America, is here for three shows supporting the band's new CD, "EgAri." The album was recorded in Tbilisi in 2005. The Shin's members are Zaza Miminoshvili (guitars, panduri), Zurab J. Gagnidze (electric and acoustic bass, vocals) and Mamuka Gaganidze (vocals, percussion).

"Originally, we were five musicians together in Tbilisi back in the 1990s," Gagnidze said during a phone interview. "Me and Zaza started the project and then we all moved to Stuttgart. Some returned to Tbilisi while me and Zaza continued as a duo - guitar and bass. Then we added Mamuka and continued as a trio."

The Shin's lineup expanded to 11 members during the recording of "EgAri" and the group occasionally uses a larger lineup for shows in Georgia or Europe . But the core is as it always has been - a trio featuring Miminoshvili, Gagnidze and Gaganidze.

"What we're playing on tour is like 'EgAri' but with fewer instruments," Gagnidze said. "It's the smaller version - the 'lite' version. The sound is a little different. But we can manage these things. There are just not as many traditional instruments. We also have a dancer performing with us - David Ninoshvili.

"We will always have a traditional foundation, but always with our own influence at the same time. I have listened to traditional Georgian music ever since my grandmother sang it to me when I was 3.

"The Beatles were also a big influence. Then I started listening to jazz and jazz-rock fusion. When I moved to Germany, I turned to Oriental music - especially Indian music, with all its amazing rhythms."