Reviews

An Offering

An Offering

Maverick Festival UK July 2016
"Amanda Pearcy has a unique vocal style that evokes a depth of emotion that very few I can think of can get close to, much less match. She and the incredibly talented British guitarist Mark Gill put on a tremendous set, with Amanda's lovely warm personality appealing to everyone present. Her songs are all beautifully written and come from various aspects of life but one of the highlights not just of her set but of the whole festival was the classic Bobbie Gentry song 'Ode to Billie Joe.' Anyone recording a song this well known is just asking for trouble; on her recent album 'An Offering', I was completely entranced by how unusual and musically brave it was. And live she put the album version in the shade with her emotional reading of the song. Amanda is another of my three tips for stardom."
— American Roots UK, Mike Morrison

Ramblin' Roots Festival Utrecht NL Oct 2016
"A strong choice, Amanda Pearcy gave a solid, bluesy performance. With her striking voice, reminiscent of Lucinda Williams, the singer-songwriter from Austin sang her songs convincingly."
— Sandy Abraham, Heaven Magazine, NL

"Amanda Pearcy was one of the few female artists at this festival. Enjoying the crowded room, she played a flawless set."
— Arianne Knegt, FolkForum.nl

"Her lingering singing and southern accent are somewhat reminiscent of Lucinda Williams. Pearcy's band nicely gave her brooding, authentic songs just that extra."
— Chris Bernasco, 3voor12.vpro

"Her soulful voice is sultry, sexy and above all experienced. The musical accompaniment sounds extremely sticky and dark with great attention to languid slide guitar and subtle jazzy drums. The special thing about the band is that this evening is completely Dutch: BJ Baartmans, Ruben Klavers and Sjoerd van Bommel. All three have made their mark in the rock and blues music, and they guide Pearcy perfectly tonight."
— Frank Gesink, WrittenInMusic.com

Texas Music Magazine
"Tough, sweet, and hard to shake, An Offering contains some of the best songwriting you're liable to hear this year. She puts flesh on the familiar bones of Southern gothic — and makes them sound like lived experience, only described by a sharp observer with a store of original images."
— Madison Searle

American Roots UK
"This gifted and highly individual singer songwriter is very much her own stylist ...setting her apart from the pack and making her instantly recognizable as a hugely talented complete individualist... full of originality and diversity and the only thing predictable about her music is that one great song and vocal performance will follow another... Amanda's atmospheric 'drawl' brings an unusual bluesy jazziness feel... her lovely vocal manipulating the lyrics and depth of feeling in every one of these beautifully written tales. It is that complete individuality of style that sets her apart when many singer songwriters blend together with nothing making one recognizably different from the next. Amanda has broken that mould..."
— Mike Morrison

Maverick Magazine
4 STARS
"Her songs, at times delivered with a tender fragility, and sometimes with a raw punchiness, speak of hard times, the human spirit, and its will to endure. The songs all have a retro blues feel to them...Janis Joplin-esque and R&B upbeat tracks cut against soulful, melodic songs. Amanda Pearcy's real-life experience and honest portrayal is conveyed in each and every song."
— Megan Gnad

3rd Coast Music Magazine
4.5 STARS
"Among the best of Austin’s singer-songwriters... An Offering is an extraordinary piece of original Southern Gothic."
— John Conquest

Rootstime.BE
"Amanda Pearcy is a songwriter who plays, without any doubt, in the top division of her generation. Her writing makes me think not only of Lucinda Williams, but also of Tom Russell, Jason Isbell, and Gillian Welch."
— Dani Heyvaert

Heaven Magazine
8.5 STARS
"Restraint isn't a word you'll find in Amanda Pearcy's dictionary. She offers herself. Completely. It's the ultimate vulnerability on a silver platter."
— Ed Muitjens

Ctrl.Alt.Country e-zine
5 STARS
"Indisputably one of the finest albums of 2015. And certainly in the Americana category."
"In het stukje door vrouwelijke singer-songwriters bezette grensgebied tussen Americana, folk en blues regeert na dit fabuleuze 'An Offering' tot nader order een nieuwe queen. Amanda Pearcy is haar naam en ze lijkt zo op het eerste gezicht niet van plan om dat postje snel weer af te staan..."
— Benny Metten

Krenten Uit de Pop
"...Pearcy is well ahead. This may be the best roots record of 2015. Absolutely one of the best of 2015, if not the best."
— Erwin Zijleman

Lonestar Time
"...surrounded by a 'southern' aura, its atmosphere a bit mysterious, rich in warmth and passion, close to the likes of Mary Gauthier, Lucinda Williams, Townes Van Zandt, and Rodney Crowell... with remarkable wit and heart... highly evocative, poignant."
— Remo Ricaldone

Houston Press
"In a field overcrowded with dreamers chasing the same rainbow, An Offering is a low-­key Americana gem."
— Chris Gray

WoNo Magazine
"The first listen blew me away instantly. That southern drawl in combination with a voice that has lived life, does it for me. I'll say it again, Amanda Pearcy impresses me more than Lucinda Williams, it's time the rest of the world notices this quality too. A sound to get lost in, without having to worry about finding your way back. Her music is down to earth and thus totally alive."
— Wout de Natris

The Next Gig
"The album is a 'must have'. Absolutely beautiful. An intense and sincere album from a very strong woman that directly strikes at the heart... beautiful songs from an excellent songwriter, with that voice that touches every inflection. She takes you to the fringes of society and shows you that there is hope, and compassion."
— Richard Wagenaar

Music That Needs Attention
"I have an immense respect for this lady. She is first class. Between the lines you taste that today's America can be extraordinarily hard. Success does not come naturally, and this is America, this recurring ordeal, which is what she sings about, without even a moment to pity herself... the sacrifice she was making was given the way the cards are shuffled miserably, but necessary. The end result is nothing less than pure and straight from the heart. No staged scene, just heartfelt emotions."
— Rein van den Berg

Roots Highway
"There is something in the songs of Amanda Pearcy that is bewitching, with a tone of voice so unique and sensual - joined with a so markedly Texan accent that evokes the essence of the South."
— Marco Restelli

The Alternate Root
"Amanda Pearcy is a storyteller, her characters wearing her experience... she pens with a perception of why we do what we do in a way that buries a little of each of us in the story."
— Danny McCloskey

Real Roots Cafe
"Utterly gorgeous."
— Fred Schmale

"I am nuts over true authentic voices, ones you recognize after a half syllable, that's Amanda Pearcy. Truth telling works better through a voice like hers."
— Tom Green, music fan

Performance Review, Oct 2015, Steendam, NL, Podium Cafe: The Next Gig
"What a hell of a performer. Raw, intense, each word sung with conviction. Songwriting at its very best... The subdued opening song, 'Ribbons and Bows', was delivered with enormous power, enough to silence the capacity crowd directly. A voice with flexural strength, with a nice tone and just enough growl and bite to keep it more than interesting, more than convincing. Each song delivered beautifully and sensitively. She herself proved a more than adequate guitarist on her acoustic guitar, but she had taken Cole Hanson for the completion of her songs. With his electric guitar Hanson knew how to put the right accents and not outflank Pearcy, giving service to the songs and the voice of Amanda Pearcy."
— Richard Wagenaar

Performance Review, Oct 2015, Warmond, NL, De Oude School: WoNo Magazine
"Amanda Pearcy brought her soul. She has lived and that shows in her songs and stories. Stories told to introduce a song come alive in her songs. With the current #1 album in the EuroAmericana list of October, by a landslide of votes, 'An Offering' is an outstanding album that deserves this position. Amanda Pearcy translated these songs to the stage with economical tight guitar strumming and the reverb and delay laden lead notes and solos played by Cole Hanson. Her voice does the rest. The southern drawl that sometimes is lain on a bit thicker, gives the songs this little extra authenticity."
— Wout de Natris

Royal Street

Royal Street

Johnny’s Garden
4 STARS
“An album that you simply must go and listen to, because it is nothing but a first class stunner.”
— Rein Van Den Berg

WoNo Magazine Blogspot
“I do not see any reason why Amanda Pearcy cannot be as big as Lucinda Williams. In my humble opinion her album is more consistent in quality than any of Williams' albums. Live I was impressed, Pearcy was completely convincing, on record Amanda Pearcy has convinced me as well. From ballads, to country songs and from folk to roots rock, Amanda Pearcy is like a fish in water in all genres. And her voice, it is not an average voice. It has a rough edge, but contains sweetness and compassion as well, with an ability to change to a deeper register. A fascinating voice that is extremely pleasant to listen to. A star ought to be born sometime soon.”
— Wout de Natris

3rd Coast Music, Austin, TX
4.5 STARS
“Pearcy has a fully realized album, in the truest sense of the word… If, like Ray Wylie Hubbard, you believe that the essence of songwriting is to tear strips off your soul, then Pearcy is your girl. Or, rather, your woman… Her twelve songs are extraordinarily well crafted, each one, though they vary in tempo and style, is given its own individual setting and atmosphere, Pearcy modulating her expressive vocals to maximize the effect of her poetic lyrics and evocative melodies… You can play this over and over and still not plumb its depths.”
— John Conquest

Acoustic Live, New York City
“Amanda Pearcy’s set in our Saturday showcase at NERFA (Northeast Regional Folk Alliance) was so powerful that I said she was “a female version of Steve Earle.” It was partially the Texas connection and the gravity of her performance but I’ll stand by that statement. She might lean a little harder on the romance than Earle, but there’s a hardscrabble grittiness to her that’s irresistible. Her song “The Story Of My Heart” might just be illustrative of that… A song of leaving, “Unbind,” with its shimmering sadness, shows some of that grit… If Amanda takes a break from Austin to visit New York City, we’ll do our best to give her a warm welcome.”
— Richard Cuccaro

Lone Star Music Magazine, San Marcos, TX
“…Pearcy’s hardscrabble life story reads like the premise for a bona fide Oscar contender. But between the richly hued, smoky beauty of her voice and the striking, evocative images she paints in words and starkly haunting melodies, the Houston-born, Austin-based Pearcy hardly needs the Hollywood treatment (or budget) to translate her experiences into heartrendingly arresting art…. a quiet storm of “a thousand tender recollections” that plays like a long, wistful sigh arching towards wisdom. Ultimately, succor comes from within, with songs reflecting a hard-earned understanding that in lieu of perfect happy endings, resilience is its own reward. Albums like Royal Street are the proof.”
— Richard Skanse

The Alternate Root, USA
Selected as a “Best Pick” in The Alternate Root
“The deep-felt folk soul of Amanda’s voice grounds the diversity of the songs… on “Better on My Own”, Amanda delivers a vocal that would make the Blues queens of the 20’s and 30’s proud of the song– her voice, a well-contained powerhouse… The album kicks off with a fine ballad, “Bring You Home”, immediately letting the vocals of Amanda Pearcy capably take control. Opening the album with a ballad is a ballsy move, but Amanda more than justifies the choice as see-through vocals show her emotions as her confessional delivery almost breaks with her heart.”
— Danny McCloskey, The Alternate Root, USA
~ included on The Alternate Root’s Women Only Sampler ~

Maverick Magazine, UK
“Texas-born and raised Amanda Pearcy produces music as wide and varied as the Lone Star State. …she travels down a wide-ranging Americana highway with touches of blues, a little country, gospel, Tex-Mex and a whole lot besides… produced by the vastly underrated Tim Lorsch… Apart from the Rolling Stones’ “No Expectations” and the traditional spiritual “Wish I’s In Heaven Settin’ Down” all songs are penned by Pearcy…with great sensitivity, soul and emotion. The gently acoustic “Bring You Home” is full of pathos with a stunning vocal and a gorgeous Lorsch string arrangement.”
— Alan Cackett

No Depression, Blabber ‘n’ Smoke, Scotland
“Strong stuff… reminiscent of Mary Gauthier… Pearcy reaches deep down and produces a couple of tear jerking ballads that could stop you in your tracks. The emotional vocal delivery of “Nickel In The Vase” sends shivers down the spine. In a similar vein the title song is a superb piece. Pearcy has an attractive bluesy husk of a voice that is perfectly suited to her gospel soul and country sound that peppers the album. …it’s a fair bet that several country divas would give their eye teeth to get a hold of “Lackin’ In Nothin‘… It’s fair to say that all of Pearcy’s songs on the album are of a high standard.”
— Paul Kerr

Rootstime, Belgium
“She is so multi-layered and rich…That voice was made to sing the blues, but it is equally well suited to the lavish country melodies that are scattered on this record…a little bit Janis, Emmylou, Lucinda, Mary Gauthier. Authentic. If Amanda Pearcy sings, you believe her…if you want to enjoy an Americana album, which contains the ingredients of that genre: blues, soul, gospel, country, folk, if you above all want to witness superior song writing and hardly equaled singing, then “Royal Street” is something for you… the songs of Amanda Pearcy do not blush alongside those of Jagger and Richards.”
— Dani Heyvaert

American Roots, UK
“An album that, more than most, repays repeated listening sessions with its poeticism, sense of drama, and varied tempos and moods… rewardingly mature. Amanda possesses a lovely rich vocal style that is full of character and believability, with a maturity that avoids the cloying sweetness of many of her peers… even at times having an appealing bluesiness. She creates a hugely evocative atmosphere on every song… and what tremendous songs they are, with some gorgeous melodies that stay in the memory, and lyrics that are beautiful poetic reflections on life… Amanda’s aching vocals dredge every drop of feeling out of the very good “Better on My Own”… Many of these excellent songs are lyrically downbeat but with the stylistic variation and the varied music and vocals, the album never descends into self-pity or gloom.”
— Mike Morrison

Ctrl. Alt. Country e-zine, Belgium
4 STARS
“Americana at its most original!”
— Benny Metten

DeKrentenUitDePop, The Netherlands
“It surprises me every week the beautiful pictures that are created in this genre, but Amanda Pearcy’s Royal Street is such a rare album, after first listening, you never want to let go. Do not miss it. …a voice that quite easily causes goose bumps… All the above is more than sufficient to make an album with a silver lining, but Amanda Pearcy excels on Royal Street also as a songwriter. It is significant that “No Expectations”, by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, does not rise above the other songs on the album.”
— Erwin Zijleman

AltCountry Forum, The Netherlands
“Brilliant album. …songs of undeniable intensity sung with a fragile, “country-noir” voice. The majestic “Unbind” leaves the listener speechless, the beautiful melancholy making this song one of the highlights of an already excellent CD. I also have a huge weakness for “Forgiven”. But whether Amanda Pearcy sings her roots tinged waltz, “Lackin ‘in Nothin’”, or her impassioned take on the Rollings Stones’ “No Expectations”, she comes across brilliantly throughout.”
— Ed Muitjens

Keys and Chords, Belgium
4 STARS
“…a very fine and talented singer-songwriter. There’s no doubt about it, Amanda Pearcy earns her place in the Austin scene.”
— Cis Van Looy

Roots Highway, Italy
“There are discs that have the extraordinary power to pick us up and take us to another place, sometimes in another era- that is certainly the case with Royal Street… Amanda Pearcy is halfway between the voices of Rosanne Cash and Joan Armatrading.”
— Marco Restelli

Real Roots Cafe, The Netherlands
“…a gem, shining like a Texan sun in the Americana world of the South… Amanda’s voice can not fail to charm, there is no voice like hers, soulful and wonderfully sensual. A masterful CD that deserves wide circulation.”
— Fred Schmale

Lonestar Time, Italy
“…evocative, passionate, and engaging… Amanda Pearcy, an artist who is definitely on track.”
— Remo Ricaldone

Le Cri du Coyote, France
“…Pearcy could well be one of this year’s beautiful revelations. There’s not a weak moment on the disc and Amanda constantly manages to surprise and charm us, alternating the rhythms and the moods, going from a ballad gently held by the strings of a violin or a cello…to a greasy blues in the vein of “St. James Infirmary”… to continue with…a rootsy country track. Steve Young, a connoisseur, has written: “Amanda Pearcy’s songs are a bit unusual, which I like”…a disc that has just begun, and the end is not in sight, to illuminate my musical landscape.”
— Sam Pierre *(not online, the full review is below)

Heaven magazine, The Netherlands
“…Her husky, sensual way of singing makes her remarkable. …an original sound which her honest, mostly subdued songs thrive. … The Stones’ No Expectations may sound like it comes from her own sleeve, and testifies just as much of her original talent. Excellently produced by violinist and producer Tim Lorsch.”
— Pieter Wijnstekers

R2 (Rock’n’Reel) Magazine, May/June, UK
“Amanda’s slightly husky, slightly cracked voice suits her brand of Americana perfectly…an album worth checking out.”
— Dave Haslam

 

 

Le Cri du Coyote, Avril-Mai 2013
* full review by Sam Pierre, Le Cri du Coyote, France (as translated by the author)
“With “Royal Street”, her second album, Amanda Pearcy could well be one of this year’s beautiful revelations. Her life has not been a long slowly flowing river, studded with painful and sometimes tragic events. Amanda has now found serenity and offers us a very sunny disc, twelve songs inspired by real-life experience, written by Amanda, with the addition a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “No Expectations” and the traditional “Wish I’s In Heaven Settin’ Down”. The voice, “soul” and often sensual, of the Lady wanders with warmth on melodies sometimes country, sometimes blues, tinged with gospel or rock. There’s not a weak moment on the disc and Amanda constantly manages to surprise and charm us, alternating the rhythms and the moods, going from a ballad gently held by the strings of a violin or a cello (as in the title track) to a greasy blues in the vein of “St. James Infirmary” (“Better On My Own”, a great moment) to continue with “Unbind”, a rootsy country track. Steve Young, a connoisseur, has written: “Amanda Pearcy’s songs are a bit unusual, which I like”. The disc was produced by Tim Lorsch, the core group comprises Tim (violins, cello, mandolin), George Bradfute (guitars), Ron de la Vega (bass) and Mickey Grimm (drums) et we can cross along the way some guests as Jon Byrd who sings on two tracks including “Lackin’ In Nothin’”, a really beautiful country waltz), Anthony Crawford or Mike Daly. Only fine names for a disc that has just begun, and the end is not in sight, to illuminate my musical landscape.”
— Sam Pierre

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