From Amazon.com
Not her best Effort, but enjoyable
Album Rating: (3 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: Best Tracks: Too Fast, Take It Like A Man, I Couldn't Help Myself
I found Shortstop to be missing something (what I can't say), and a little preachy.
I'm a huge Sara Hickman fan, and this album certainly didn't turn me away from her music, but I found it lacking the uniqueness of her other releases.
Although, there are a number of songs that shine forth, and this album is worthy of a listen.
Top Of Her Game
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I have owned this CD for many years. I bought it after seeing her on Austin City Limits. I have played it many times and it never gets old, it is very well crafted, emotional to the max and just amazing songwriting coupled with an amazing voice.
Somewhat dissapointed
Album Rating: (2 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: After the rave reviews of this CD, I decided to take a chance and buy it. I was somewhat dissapointed as I don't think it's all that it was purported to be. I guess if others have felt the same, they didn't bother to write a review; only those that really loved the album.
Great!
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: "Salvador," "Don't Give Up," and "Aurora" are the best tracks on this CD. It would be interesting to see Hickman in concert nowadays and see if she has the same kind of sound, or if she has changed a lot. I recently discovered this CD after it lay dormant for ten years. It's just as fresh today! Hickman has a very original sound, and I wish more modern performers had the courage to have their own sound rather than parroting others.
"Equally Scary People" is also a good CD of early Hickman. You can't miss with this one either!! :)
Dancing in the middle of a crazy diamond
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: Sara Hickman's second album for Elektra Records shows the grooming that her label obviously thought her worthy of at the time. Producer David Kershenbaum (Tracy Chapman, Joe Jackson) was brought in to give "Shortstop" the full digital buff job, and Sara was given a big budget sound on the likes of "I Couldn't Help Myself" in the hopes of Adult Contemporary and VH1 airplay. (I still have the videos from her appearances on Johnny Carson's and Pat Sajak's late shows.)
The end result was her most commercially successful album. And while "I Couldn't Help Myself" did get a great deal of radio play, it is the song least indicative of Sara's talents. She is a great songwriter, given to spurts of impish humor (the title track), genuine optimism ("If We Sent Our Hearts Over Now," written about a death row inmate and a Hostage from the Iranian Crisis - remember that?), and passion with flair ("Salvador," about Dali). The instrumentation is mostly acoustic and includes a few cohorts from Joni Mitchell's bands, all given lots of place to let their passages breathe.
"Shortstop" is an album that also holds a special place in my collection and heart. Sara is the only person to ever name check me on her album. You'll see Tim at WAFL mentioned (because I programmed "Equal Scary People" way back when you could still get away with choosing what songs you played as a DJ). So you have to understand that, when it comes to Sara, I am a very prejudiced fan. If even with that admittance you may be slightly disinclined to add this to your library, I still say GET THIS CD. You can use my email address and thank me later.
Purchases
1 In the Fields
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