Sara's albums just keep getting better. This and "Two Kinds of Laughter" seem to be coming-of-age albums, containing more complex arrangements and a wider variety of styles and sounds than those heard in the past. The variety of emotions contained on this album express Sara's personality, but the album has an overall calming effect, something new for Sara, who often makes listeners want to dance, sing along, or find a playground. But most importantly, Sara's vocals continue to be the focus -- and with a voice like hers, that's as it should be.
For one who has long labored under the shadow of Shawn Colvin and Nanci Griffith, Sara Hickman shows little interest in throwing off such comparisons. Her sixth release and first full production effort follows those singer-songwriters' pop turns with songs so upbeat and affirmative that they sound like an adult contemporary answer to Chicken Soup for the Soul. Hickman has grown more militantly eclectic with each release, tossing in flutes, french horns, sitars, and dijeridoos with kid-in-the-candy-store discrimination, and even when she scores a memorable tune--like the jaunty opener "Standing Ground"--she tends to lose the melody to battle-of-the-band hubris. Moodier numbers like "Kerosene" (an ode to lust) and "Dear Tracey" (a croon for a lost friend) are more revealing showcases for her sexy phrasing and smart turns-of-phrase. --Roy Kasten
