I’m Still Here is more than a comeback album by an artist who’s suffered more than her share of hard knocks. Mindy McCready builds upon her appearances on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab to deliver the most substantial and emotionally resonant album of her career. As might be expected, there’s plenty of confession and resolve to be heard in these tracks. McCready sings bittersweet tunes like “Wrong Again,” “Fades” and the title song with a bruised sort of conviction. Her rendition of Tony Arata’s “The Dance” is particularly affecting. Seductive ballads like the atmospheric “The Way You Make Me Melt” and the conflicted “I Hate That I Love You” rekindle some of her old come-hither charm, while “I Want a Man” lets her swagger just a bit. Mindy reprises two of her early hits as well, with “Ten Thousand Angels” benefiting most from her matured perspective. Far from clinging to her former country starlet persona, McCready emerges as a fully-grown talent on I’m Still Here, seasoned by experience and filled with a survivor’s wisdom.