CRITICS CHOICE
SARA HICKMAN / Misfits
Producer(s): various
Shanachie 8026
POP
Label debut from Texan singer/songwriter Sara Hickman is "a collection of odds and ends" that (mostly) spans the last 10 years in an engaging, if scattershot, self-portrait. In a collection featuring guest stars Brave Combo, Adrian Belew, David Sancious, and Tony Levin, highlights include the graceful "Secrets of Love II" and "Satin Sheets For Alice," the venomous get-even narrative of "Dumptruck," the lilting Tex-Mex inflections of "False Pretenses," and the delicate "Everyone’s Gone To he Moon." Other random gems include the comically catchy "Radiation Man," an enjoyable, unused TV theme song, and the bittersweet choral voices of "Romania," composed to raise money for that country’s orphans. Covers include a jokey take on "Baby, It’s Cold Outside," a not-too-jokey take on David Cassidy hit "I Think I Love You" (with Mildred from Spot), and a ska-tinged version of "Zippity Doo Dah."
Originally reviewed in Billboard, Issue Date: 5/10/97