Gretchen Peters - Burnt Toast & Offerings

Gretchen Peters goes from strength to strength as a songwriter. Famed on both sides of the Atlantic for penning Martina McBride's Independence Day and many other classics for the likes of Trisha Yearwood and Neil Diamond, it is a mystery why she has built such a loyal following for her own records and live appearances in the UK, yet remains an unknown quantity as a performer in the US.

Peters' 2007 release Burnt Toast and Offerings is an intensely personal album, each song being a near mini-epic. Recently divorced after a long marriage, this has obviously influenced her writing, and although there are upbeat songs on the album it has a feeling of sadness. It is unfortunate that it takes something devastating to bring out the best in a songwriter, and this is certainly true of Burnt Toast and Offerings.

As far as the success of Gretchen's albums on this side of the pond are concerned, America's loss is certainly the UK's gain.

• Ghost
• Sunday Morning (Up & Down My Street)
• Summer People
• Jezebel
• Thirsty
• England Blues
• The Lady Of The House
• One For My Baby
• The Way You Move Me
• This Town
• Breakfast At Our House
• To Say Goodbye