Liz Lee is now in the final writing stages of her sophomore album, Passion Recovery.

Fans of her debut album, The Road That Leads to You, be pleased that she is still blending genres and blurring boundaries in her new project. Passion Recovery brings rock, country, funk, blues and even a little punk. "I try to bring out a lot of different emotions in my music, and it only seems appropriate to write in a genre that suits the feeling of each song," she explains. 

"The Passion Song," the first song Liz wrote with the intention of recording this second album, set the tone for the theme that runs through each song.

Well I've lost something, maybe you can help me find it, I think someone tried to hide it

Well it's hard to describe--it doesn't have width or height, I don't know how to tell you just exactly what it looks like

The color may be red, or maybe that's just in my head, well I have it for a day and then it slips away

But I know that sweet kisses seem to bring it near, oh come on over here, I think I know where it's been hiding...

Set to bluesy/funky instrumentation, "The Passion Song," tells the story of a woman trying to recover the passion that has been shut down by years of internalizing others' beliefs and expectations. Like almost all of her songs, this one is autobiographical. "While the song expresses some anger, it's not a song meant to blame other people, but rather to take responsibility for recovering my own passion and really inhabiting my body and not just walking around living in my head," she admits. Liz wrote a song with a similar theme years ago and plans to include it on the album. "Beautiful Lies" explores issues of self-acceptance with respect to body image in a size-zero obsessed society. "Aside from the thematic connections to the rest of the album, this song really rocks--while bringing across a valid message for women of all ages today."

On the other end of the spectrum is the dreamy "Love on a Sunday," which Liz says is a "musical, magical incantation" that she wrote one week before meeting the man she describes as the love of her life. "This song came out of nowhere. I had spent years being single and learning how to be at peace with that, and then BOOM! Here you go Liz--a love song and a real life love to go with it." 

Over the next few years, Liz blasted through the false belief that an artist needs to be alone or go through a monumental breakup to be creative. Happily in love, she still had to learn how to be in a relationship and open herself within it. "Break Me Open" describes the process of opening oneself to all the lessons and challenges that accompany intimacy and partnership. "I know it may seem that I'm the most stubborn woman you've ever met/ But it's only because I haven't a sense of what's good for me yet," she writes, "Just give me a moment to realize/I cannot hide it, Love has arrived."

Liz found that Love, for all its sweetness, can pack a powerful punch when it comes to healing the past. "What She Wants" in all its 90's grunge/punk fury, takes you to a place where shame and secrecy cannot stand. "This song is probably the riskiest I have ever written, but it comes from a place of learning to love myself," she admits.

Self-love and self-acceptance echo in one of her more recently written songs, "There's a World Out There," also known as "The Facebook Song." Coming out of a year without writing anything, Liz felt compelled to address her old habit of judging herself inadequate in light of others' accomplishments. "Time to stop all the comparing/ There's a reason you're exactly who you are--No one in the world like you." Liz confesses this song is like a "pep talk" for herself. "I think a lot of people can relate to this subject--it's really easy to get caught up in who you're not, what you don't have or what you can't do--to the point that you forget how unique you really are. There's a reason you're here on this earth, and there really is no one who is exactly like you. So this song is all about owning who you are, because ultimately, being you is a gift to the world."

Liz will finish writing the songs for Passion Recovery during the fall season of her live weekly show "Love on a Sunday." Already cowriting with Charlie Wooton, Liz will cowrite with other artists as well, including Nathan Morgan of Reluctant Saints. "Charlie brings funk and Nathan brings southern rock, and I need some of each to round out my writing style," she explains. Once all the songs are written, around November or December 2011, Liz will go into the studio with producer Giuseppe Colato. Look for guest appearances by world-class guitarist Barry Richman and saxophonist Bill Smith, among others. Release of the album is tentatively scheduled for late winter or early spring 2012.