Bonnie Bishop: Free

Bonnie Bishop
Free (EP)
(self-released)
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Her name might be unfamiliar to most, but rock/soul Nashville based singer Bonnie Bishop has released four albums since 2002. This seven-track EP is her first in a while, yet a divorce and period of self-reflection brings newfound confidence to her music, as exemplified in this disc’s self-explanatory “Best Songs Come from Broken Hearts.” These performances capture her raw, gospel styled vocals and blues based rocking in story songs like the Bob Seger inflected “Bad Seed” and the gritty, heartfelt tomorrow-is-a-better-day ballad “World Like This.” Get ready to sway your arms in the air with lighters held aloft for the gutsy piano based title ballad, a tune crying out to be covered by one of the American Idol wannabees. There are plenty of reasons why Bonnie Raitt covered Bishop’s co-write with Al Anderson on her new album, and all of them are obvious on this short but powerful set. It’s filled with rugged material that reverberates with the passion of the singer’s personal triumphs over adversity.