“Sarah Pierce, a powerfully talented songwriter from Austin, Texas. The name of this young singer/songwriter from Austin (actually born in Illinois) should be known to all the lovers of the independent american music scene. After the good impressions earned by her second album, No Place Like Home, Sarah did a short tour in Italy in 1999, showing an edgier side  than was shown in the studio. Once more helped on production by her skillful  husband Merel Bregante (a legendary musician in the Texas country rock scene), Sarah threw the dice with her third album, Birdman, the result of the experiences gained being on the road and doing a lot of concerts. Her originality and the overall sound are the things that impress the most: everything sounds pretty far away from the rootsy accents of the usual Austin scene, and the folk & country roots are more evident even where lushy pop arrangements, with a fundamental role played by piano and acoustic guitars, are prominent. Good balanced production and Sarah's sweet and charming voice remind the listener of the  music of California during the 70’s, especially first ladies Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. In the first half of the album we have the best results: My Street and Marjorie are very delicate melodies with wonderful electric guitar work in the latter. Wind is West Coast-tinged, and Birdman features a brilliant piano performance. Anything Goes is, again, very California-sounding, enriched by a good slide guitar; Coffee Shop is a not very inventive boogie-rock break with guitars too distant in the mix, but Talkin' With You and High Holy Day clearly show Sarah’s country background. At times the album suffers from a sound that is a bit too polished, but it's a very well-crafted folk pop album, even when certain songs sound like cliches (Angel, Ordinary Day, Turn Around). An intense and passionate version (piano and voice only) of the ultraclassic Wonderful World is an elegant closer, however the song seems a little out of place on this album. Fabio Cerbone - Buscadero n° 213, may 2000