Stuart Pierce – Too Far To Fly / 2006 Self / 13 Tracks / http://www.stuartpierce.com / http://www.pierce-reagan.com / Reviewed 25 September 2006

“Gracie” starts out like a Steppenwolf track, while the vocals come out with an indie rock style that reflects Pierce’s love of acts like Matthew Sweet. The track is radio friendly, but there is nothing immediately catchy about that track, no special rub that the track has to bring listeners into their local record store to pick up this album. “Divine Whoa” is another track that is much the same as ‘Gracie”. While the two styles approached by the tracks are miles apart, the idea here is that Pierce does not showcase the little added “umph” that is needed to bring the track over the hurdle.

One cannot deny Pierce has a solid voice, or that ey knows how to play guitar with the best of them, but the arrangements just do not shine during the early parts of “Too Far To Fly”. As with the opening few tracks of “Too Far To Fly”, “Admire” starts off with a clinic that shows Pierce’s abilities, this time focusing in on eir guitar work. This track is closer to where Pierce needs to be for success, but there is an anemic feel to this track that lingers. If there just was a little more energy or intensity to this track, chances would be good that Piece would have eir first unqualified hit of this disc. There is another track in “Where Am I?” that starts out heavily biased toward the instrumental side of things,; but as is the case with the rest of the tracks on “Too Far To Fly”, there is nothing that distinguishes Pierce from the masses of other artists that are doing the same general thing with their own albums. The one thing of note during “Where Am I?” is that Piece uses a catchy melody to push listeners to the chorus, but even that is not enough o bring this disc up from the depths. There is no debating that Pierce has a ton of potential, but potential is not anything if the execution is flawed.

Pierce has to show listeners why exactly they should buy this album, and none of the disc’s thirteen tracks do just that. I would say to check out subsequent albums by Pierce, but one should try to get a test drive with this album before spending their hard-earned ducats on this piece of plastic. Otherwise, maybe one should just pass on “Too Far To Fly”.

Top Tracks: Knowing Everybody Hiere, Deadened Choir

Rating: 3.8/10

[JMcQ]