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"The very pleasing Birdman, is the third solo album by Texan singer/songwriter Sarah Pierce (wife of drummer Merel Bregante, former Loggins & Messina, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dan Fogelberg and others). A delicate and lightly smooth songwriter, Pierce shows also a very good taste in arranging these twelve songs. Her vocal timbre (it's sweet but it also shows an energetic presence when needed) fits perfectly well with her writing style and her arrangements, placing herself somewhere in between the tradition of singers like Emmylou Harris and writers like Nanci Griffiths (hear the wonderfully sophisticated ballad Marjorie), not forgetting the great Shawn Colvin.
Pierce is enchanting when handles country - or, I should write better, country rock - tinged songs like the soothing Talking With You, or when she elegantly sails the stormy seas of a roughly crafted honky tonk like Coffee Shop. But in the end is in tracks like Anything Goes (an electro-acoustic mid-tempo with an absolutely gorgeous melody) that Sarah gives her best. The album closes with the cover of the superclassic What A Wonderful World: it's a remake that does not surprise me for its innovation, but Pierce interpretation proves here a discrete maturity. Sarah Pierce will tour Italy between may 1st and 10th (contact: canny@scabin.com.) Rate: 7/8 (out of 10) Why? If you love singers & songwriters of New American Alt. Folk scene, Sarah Pierce's charming class, writing skill and soothing vocals will fill you with enthusiasm." (Translation by Marco Grompi) |