Kimmie Rhodes is a natural blonde retro cowgirl hippy chick from Lubbock, Texas.
Over the course of a long career she has rightly been fêted for the plain spoken honesty of her modern country tunes. Her latest collection will do nothing to dent this reputation.
For her umpteenth album she acknowledges the key contributions from guest musician Johnny Goudie, producer (and son) Gabriel Rhodes and her Sunbird Studios house band.
Rhodes is at her best when she wears her heart on her sleeve. There's a quiet desperation to many of her songs albeit with that Patsy Cline quality of treating disappointments and failed relationships as learning experiences.
"I raise my glass to emptiness and I just keep moving on
is one of the philosophical sentiments on Don't Leave Me Like This while on Trouble Is she reflects sagely "In a world full of sorrow, heartache and pain, what's the use of chasing after more of the same".
What Do I Have Now finds her taking stock of her life and this serves as a companion piece to Me Again, a touching autobiographical tale of overcoming a series of identity crises until "I finally feel like me again".
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Other songs are more akin to the uncomplicated pop of early Beatles tunes. The Sky Fell Down, for instance, sounds a little like 'You Can't Do That'.
Even when penning typical heartbreak songs Rhodes is capable of throwing in a line that makes you sit up and take notice. "I'm so glad that you don't really love me" from Lover Killing Time falls into this category.
The fragility of her voice belies a strength of character and an instinct for survival. So what begins at a low point, with I Am Falling, ends with her counting her blessings and saying a forthright Yes to life.
Kimmie Rhodes' website
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