Bonnie Whitmore is one of the legion of struggling artists driven to making music not with the expectation of making millions but as a form of therapy.
Coming from a musical family, it's something that's in the blood so, whatever the drawbacks and hardships, she intends to keep on keeping on.
Whitmore grew up in Denton. Texas and has recently relocated to Austin after a stint in Nashville.
Her first record was a break up album, Embers To Ashes, and, having got that out of her system, she's ready to make a hooky country pop record that takes Tom Petty as its blueprint.
Funded by Kickstarter, she describes the album as "a celebration of success and failure".
The mood of the ten tunes is upbeat despite the recognition that things could go pear-shaped any moment or as she puts it on Borderline: everything's fine until it's not".
Her sister, Eleanor, adds some lively fiddle playing, particularly on Reckless And Young which is catchy enough to make a great single.
Driving tunes like this, Heartbreaker and Too Much Too Soon are two other examples, are the strongest tracks on the album.
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Slower ballads like Colored Kisses and Be The Death Of Me are more Norah Jones in feel.
There I Go Again, the title track, affirms that sometimes it's best not to do what you're told. This heralds a rebellious spirit but doesn't prompt her to look much further than the boundaries of her personal ambitions. This inward looking stance is one that borders on the self indulgent.
The titles pretty much speak for themselves, and in this sense they are a little too predictable.
A notable exception is The Gavel which returns to the theme that she feels she is treading a fine line between bliss and despair.
Fortunately. the balance of this record tips marginally towards the former.
Bonnie Whitmore's website
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