Thankful

Jennifer Hanson's second album was five years in the making. Where 2003's self-titled debut kicked out some rootsy jams with vintage gear, 2008's Thankful sounds stepped up with more contemporary production and innovative instrumentation — "Joyride" boasts sequenced dance beats and a Moog keyboard. The former Miss California of 1994 steps back in time with the single "'73" (the year she was born). It's an autobiographical account set to mellow balladry with lyrics that muse on the nostalgia of growing up in Southern California, recalling what it was like to be a young girl with divorcing parents and what might have happened had they stayed together. If the more twangy "Bittersweet" reminds you somewhat of The Wreckers, it could be because Hanson wrote their smash hit "Leave The Pieces." The poppy "Won't Give Up" grooves with a four-on-the-floor beat and a guitar riff that sounds sampled from The Rolling Stones' "Beast Of Burdon." And "Stepping Off" is so catchy and memorable it's hard to imagine why it wasn't a first choice for a radio single instead.