Photo byBroken Jukebox Media

Entertainer Sarah Pierce is prepping for the release of a new album.  It’s titled "Blessed By The West” and has a drop date of September 13th, 2024.  But first, for those of you not yet familiar with the artist in question, a bit o’ background.

Sarah Pierce

Photo byMerel Bregante

According to her official website and other online sources, Sarah Pierce is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She is “the daughter of a cowboy,” a Illinois native and Texas-based artist.  “In the 6th grade she was kicked out of the children’s choir because she sang too low...her incredible alto voice already making itself be known.”  

An international performer, her rockin’ resume includes performing live on various radio stations and at least eight previous platters.  Additionally, her songs have been featured on NPR and MTV.  She also provided the singing voice of Calamity Jane in the television mini-series “The Wild West.”

Signature Sound

Sarah Pierce’s signature sound is a blend of authentic and contemporary country and western music. She is inspired by her life and surroudings.

"Blessed By The West" 

"Blessed By The West” is a 13-track album of mainly original material written or co-written by Pierce.  On it, Pierce leads the way on acoustic guitar and vocals. She is backed by several other artists including Mike Dorrien (baritone, electric, gut string, and acoustic guitar), Mark Epstein (bass, arco, and fretless bass, Wurlitzer piano, and acoustic guitar), Pete Wasner (Steinway Grand piano, Hammond B3, and Wurlitzer piano), Dave Pearlman (pedal steel and dobro), John Inmon (electric guitar), Jon Chandler (harmonica), Sandy Martin(bass), Cody Braun and Kurt Baumen(fiddle), and co-producer Merel Bregante (drums, percussion, and background vocals).

Track by Track

The album opener is the single “I Wanna Go Home.”  It’s an effective introduction to the personality and humanity in her songwriting and an early fave of online critics.  The song is about the West and the places she loves and focuses on: the red earth, the rising sun, and the Rio Grande.  

In a recent online post, Pierce added: “Living on the ranch is a gift for me. The livestock, wildlife, and the land make all the work worthwhile. Anytime that I am away, I just wanna go home.”

The second selection is the song “The Cowboy Way (Tied To The Ride).”  This one is also written solely by Pierce.  It is biographical, potentially metaphorical, and tightly tied to the overall Western theme of this album.

The next number is the single and title track “Blessed By The West.”  Co-written with Randy Palmer and Bregante, it serves as the first example of what Pierce can do in a tuneful team-up.  It reiterates her love for the West too, the animals, the weather, and the land itself.  Complete with atmospheric apt introductory elements, it also features Mickie Fuhrman on background vocals. 

“Any Place That’s Wild” is the only cover cut on the disc.  This is Pierce’s audio adaptation of a 2008 song written by Reckless Kelly’s Willy Braun.  Covers are cool as they connect an artist with new audiences via a common cut.  The inclusion of this sad song is both fitting and apropos.   

The proud, positive, patriotic “I Fly Our Flag” follows here.  Pierce’s signature sound and her love of home and country are both clear-cut and strong despite the song being somewhat overshadowed by previous pieces.      

“Ropin’ In The Wind” is another early fave of online fans and critics alike.  Pierce continues to musically paint pictures emphasizing her love of all things West.  Doug Figgs guests on background vocals as Pierce prepares to present a thematic subset to this cowboy country compilation.

Not to be confused with the 2010 tune “The Librarian” by Laura Jane Scott, this song of the same name is an original co-written with Jim Jones who guests on acoustic guitar and background vocals.  It is the first part of what Pierce calls “The Trilogy.”  All three songs are “about strong women that defined the character of the West in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.”  They focus on “women that were willing to break all the rules...to ‘in the face of great adversity, risk their lives on every ride.’ Women that set the stage for the freedoms found today.”

With a running time of close to six minutes, “The Messenger” is the longest track here.  It is also the second part of the above-mentioned “Trilogy.”  This one, however, was written entirely by Pierce.

Not to be confused with the 2015 track by Roosevelt Road, this rockin’ “Rough Stock” is an original Peirce song.  More importantly, it brings the song-story “Trilogy” to an effective end.  The Pierce solo compositions keep coming with the reflective “I’d Start Over.”  It not only works well on this album but it has its own little identity as well.

The dark “White Dog Revenge” comes next.  The signature sound remains solid as does the theme of the album.  This one has an "I Spit On Your Grave" feel to it but it’s more serious than the tiresome “I broke his truck windows ‘cause I’m mad” stuff we hear too often today.  It features Andi Renfree on background vocals.   

Things lighten up again with “There’s Some Things A Cowgirl Just Knows.”  This one was co-written with Sissy Camacho.  It features Robert Anderson on mandolin and Mickie Fuhrman encores on background vocals.

The album's endnote is “A Dream As Texas.”  It’s a road trip-ready travelin’ track that also offers the listener one final example of Pierce as both singer-songwriter and musician as well as one last chance for the band to strut their stuff.  More importantly, it brings this sincere set of songs to a strong close.

Overall…

Overall, this new release is, as promoted, a compilation of country vignettes concerning life, death, and Pierce’s personal truth all joined by a common theme expressing her honest homage to the American West.  These effective, oft’times emotive cowgirl cuts concern both her love of the specific lifestyle and the rugged, lovely landscape there.  Her tuneful tales are injected with effective imagery and transport the listener to a specific time and place with each track and those already in the know note the additional evidence of Pierce’s songwriting strengths.  So, check out Sarah Pierce’s “Blessed By The West” and experience “A Dream As Big As Texas.”