Following her critically acclaimed debut Lady Like, singer-songwriter Ingrid Andress again plies her version of pop-country charm on sophomore effort Good Person. Without changing much of the first album’s blueprint, Andress revisits similar themes of love and struggle with the same quick-witted lyrical turns and commercial accessibility. Her dulcet voice and girl-next-door attitude go a long way to carry a few of less impressive tracks, but the writing is solid throughout and the instrumentation benefits from a healthy dose of country accents in lieu of overdone pop cliches that much of the genre has fallen prey to.
Noticeably absent are any obvious hits like “More Hearts Than Mine” or “Lady Like.” “Yearbook” and “Seeing Someone Else” attempt to fill similar roles, but don’t quite have the raw, effortless quality of their predecessors. In their place are more thoughtful, elegantly written songs like the love paean “Blue,” and the reflective closer, “Things That Haven’t Happened Yet.”
Andress’s chosen mix of styles and knack for clever storytelling continues to impress on Good Person. Although not a great leap forward from her first album, the quality remains high as she masters the art of balancing catchy melody with not-too-heavy emotions, even if her lyrics tackle some weighty topics. Whether she possesses the star appeal to break into the upper echelon of pop prominence remains to be seen, but for now Andress and country fans should enjoy this second LP.