Music
Press
"...Sara Hickman, one of the most gifted singer/songwriters playing today."
- Tower Records
"Her swooping, breathy vocals and unpredictable melodies make an adventure out of her fairy-tale folk rock."
- Entertainment Weekly
"...Hickman is a singing poet...while her songs are often peaceful and gentle, she comes equipped with sharp edges, an eagle eye and a unique ability to work a house with stories, quips and dedications...she sings and talks directly to audience members, much like the sharpest of comedians."
- Jim Beal, San Antonio Express-News
"No question that Newborn is utterly adorable, but what's remarkable is how it avoids being too precious. Sara Hickman deftly sidesteps cutesiness by creating an album of lullabies and singalongs for parents to join in on rather than simple songs for babies...it's hard not to be enchanted by Sara Hickman's lovely voice."
- Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle
"...Newborn...it's stunning, the sound of a woman whose voice (so deep and lonesome at times, so high and ebullient at others) could convert any cynic."
- Robert Wilonsky, dallasobserver.com
"At her most lyrical best, she is playful and insightful at turns. And always, Sara Hickman is inspirational."
- Mark E. Gallo, Detroit.Citysearch.com
"Not many singers can sound like Peggy Lee and Debbie Harry in the same song - - and make it seem like the most natural thing in the world."
- Austin Chronicle
"The singer herself is in fine fettle... Hickman lets her pliable voice slip the leash in song after song to indulge in almost jazz-like leaps of phrasing and range."
- Austin American Statesman
"Balancing pop hook-craft with heartfelt emotions and brilliant musicianship, Ms. Hickman chooses to celebrate life rather than muddle in melancoholy."
"Her voice remains like a force of Nature."
- The Dallas Morning News
"..seek out her albums and club shows for her melodic sense, excellent guitar playing, rich voice and mix of sunny optimism with heartache..."
"...Capturing Hickman's magic on compact disc must be about as hard as catching moonbeams in a jar..."
"...delicate guitar playing and Hickman's voice, as clear and beautiful as any...Lyrically, Hickman is as clever and insightful as a roomful of ordinary singer-songwriters."
- Eric Fidler, Associated Press
"With a warm heart and insightful words... her uplifting perspectives have the power to "heal," creating images of both the negative and positive sides to the human condition...
- Lana Fanelli, Rolling Stone
"Hickman's translucent voice is matched with a Texas songwriter's view of life that is starling in its clarity... swaying melodies and catchy choruses... lovely."
- Billboard
"Sara Hickman proved a sparkler...a gorgeous, clear voice and strumming her guitar so rhythmically that at times it seemed there must be an unseen accompanist.."
- Eric Fidler, Chicago Tribune
"Sara Hickman possesses a sparkling voice that expressively moves from pensive to giddy to sensual, and her words and music tap into emotions we all share."
- Discovery Records
"Tuneful, clever and carefully observed, Sara Hickman's material has all the strengths expected of a contemporary Texas songwriter, plus one more -- whimsy...
- J.D.C. , Rolling Stone
"... a strong, pure voice and a way with an acoustic guitar, Ms. Hickman was at once passionate and whimsical delivering her folk-pop tunes. And, man, can she play the guitar."
- Marlo Tarradell, Dallas Morning News
"Cut to the chase—Sara Hickman. Genius. Not only is she a singer-songwriter par excellence, but she possesses a self-confidence and empowerment unheard of for a creative artist in this industry... "
- The Maverick Report
"Her new style has Hickman looking years younger and a few years modder than Juliana Hatfield, with a maturity that lets her skip the cynicism that pervades the coffeehouses of today."
- New York Free Press
"Sara Hickman is a singer/songwriter on the verge, gifted with a strong sense of melody and also humor... Hickman was utterly charming, sharing stories between songs, then strumming, plucking and occasionally taking rocker swipes at her acoustic guitars, her rich husky voice reaching quivering highs and dipping for rumbling mid-range in a blend of folk and jazz colorings.
- Darryl Morden, Hollywood Reporter
"Opener Sara Hickman's music was strangely uplifting. Combining the guitar work of Michael Hedges with the vocals of a studied madrigal singer and the pure imaginative energy of a child, Hickman evoked a maelstrom of sounds and emotional images from six strings and one voice... "
- Brett Ratner, Nashville, TN
"Hickman made the most of her time, proving to be a deft uptempo guitarist and showing a jazz-pop, positive-message flair in "The Best of Times"
- The Boston Globe, Steve Morse
"Either Sara Hickman is one of the nicest people in the entertainment industry or she's a fabrication of our imagination. Mother Teresa come back looking like Grace Kelly with the voice of Rickie Lee Jones... I've met Ms. Hickman before and I can attest to her realness..."
- Charles Cross, Editor of the Seattle Rocket
"A very pregnant Sara Hickman took the stage and proceeded to grab the crowd and not let go for a full fifty minutes... The adoring crowd was rewarded with a rocking encore of "500X (The Train Song)" that left most visiting amateur songwriters with a seemingly unattainable target and example of songwriting, singing and guitar playing talent and accomplishment to aspire to.... "
- Ranked #4 on Mike Snider's Top Ten Shows of 1996, Kerrville Folk Festival - Various
Discography
Solo Albums
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Motherlode (2006)
Faithful Heart (2003)
Ready to Pop (2002)
This Christmas Wish (2001)
Spiritual Appliances (2000)
one flower to the left (2000)
Two Kinds of Laughter (1998)
Misfits (1997)
Necessary Angels (1994)
Shortstop (1990)
Equal Scary People (1989)
Children's Music
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Big Kid
Toddler
Newborn
Comprehensive song samples are available at www.sarahickman.com/music.
Photos
Bio
www.sarahickman.com
Sara Hickman released "Motherlode", a two-disc CD set of 20 songs, in June 2006.
Disc One contains songs of universal woe and quiet lament in conjunction with womankind: from depression, addiction, domestic violence, murder, insomnia, Sara's family ties to President John and Abigail Adams, a mother's hands, and finding faith in one's own song.
Disc Two is a woman's heart, bright and sparkling, with undercurrents of frustration and wanting: returning to the joys of love, sex, hope, saints, children, little birds and the garden.
Created with the listener in mind — to let you inside Sara's mind. Choose your mood, and choose your disc.
Sara Hickman is returning to the world of Adult music (hence the kama sutra painting on her new project, MOTHERLODE) after five years of creating award-winning music for children.
She's been on major and indie labels, she's been on national and local TV and in the press, but check out where she is now with her 8th adult release. Includes guest artists Shawn Colvin, Kelly Willis, Ruthie Foster, Adrian Belew, Jimmy La Fave, and more!
Sara Hickman was raised in Houston, Texas and launched her professional career at age 14 at a Houston Oilers party with just her guitar and voice. This led to performances at bank openings, psychiatric units, and weddings. She graduated from the High School for Performing Arts in Houston and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in painting from the University of North Texas.
Her independently-released debut, Equal Scary People, was picked up in 1989 by Elektra. This was followed in 1990 by the album Shortstop, which yielded the #3 adult contemporary hit “I Couldn’t Help Myself.”
Sara has twice been a guest of NBC’s Tonight Show, hosted her own VH1 special, and produced an independent video, Joy, which won first place in the USA Film Festival.
With the help of fans, Sara raised $50,000 to buy back the shelved masters of her third album, Necessary Angels, from Elektra. The album was released on Discovery. She has since released three discs on Shanachie: Misfits (a collection of musical odds and ends from her life and career), Two Kinds of Laughter (produced by Adrian Belew), and Spiritual Appliances, produced by Sara herself.
On Sara’s private label imprint, Sleeveless, she has produced and released six more CDs: the limited pressing run of the CD one flower to the left sold out within a few months; a CD version of her highly popular “official bootleg” audio cassette Ready To Pop; a re-issue of her popular Equal Scary People; a Christmas/holiday CD, This Christmas Wish; and her romantic Faithful Heart, which was released on St. Valentine’s Day 2002. Recently, Sleeveless released a limited edition DVD, I Am Going On a Journey, featuring six hours of video clips highlighting Sara’s career.
Through her self-released children’s album Newborn, she has donated over $50,000 to the Hill Country Youth Ranch (which aids abused and neglected children) and to the Mautner Project (which helps lesbians with cancer). She is extremely involved in many humanitarian issues and serves on the board of directors for the Mother’s Milk Bank/Austin and the advisory board of Arts for People (Dallas). She served as the 2001 honorary chair for the Humana Women in Health Initiative, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden Party and the 2001 Austin Race for the Cure, which raises monies for breast cancer research. The entire CD booklet of Spiritual Appliances is dedicated to fighting the homelessness problem, and she has visited Romania to work on behalf of the Romanian Orphans Fund.
Sara followed up the child-friendly sound of Newborn in 2001 with Toddler, a collection of songs, stories and poetry that teaches counting, colors, animals, sounds and geography. In 2004, the third in Sara’s children’s series was born: Big Kid is targeted towards children who are learning to read, write, explore and create.
Wal-Mart, Daisy Sour Cream, Southwest Airlines, Fannie Mae, Half-Price Books and many others are also part of Sara’s portfolio—she sings national commercials, too.
With all Sara finds herself involved in, she still spends the majority of her time with her children. She can be found at home having a picnic in the backyard with her girls or helping them paint a mural in their room. She attends field trips with her children, and teaches art and music.
Sara has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Association of Music Therapists, the Kerrville Folk Festival, and the Dallas Observer Awards. But what she really wants you to know is that she loves chili cheese fries and does not like brussel sprouts. Her high score in bowling is 197, and her goal is to break 200.
Visit Sara's weblog at www.zenlala.com.
Links
