It is a joy to hear lyrics that are not only discernible but also so emotional and powerful. Whether it is fast or slow, each song seems to really mean something and to actually affect me in some way. "The Knot Comes Untied" is a particularly moving song, as are "No Place That Far" and "Time Won't Tell." "Love, Don't Be A Stranger" and "The Great Unknown," while faster paced, also speak to universal themes like love, discontent, and hope in effective ways. Being a fan of "real," old-timey country music, I especially like the songs on the second half of the album, songs like "These Days" and "Cupid." "Cupid" is the real gem of the collection for me; featuring George Jones, this is country music at its best: "twangin' and sangin.'"

I don't really listen to country music, so I feel very fortunate indeed to have discovered Sara Evans. As many fans as she must have already, I have to believe that there are untold numbers of people in the world who would love this music but who may never be lucky enough to be introduced to it. If you're reading this review and wondering if you should take a chance on buying this CD, let me urge you to buy it. This is a voice that can touch your very soul.


No Song is Bad on "No Place That Far"   September 23, 2000
Vickie M. Dubrawski (Harrison Twp, Michigan USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Sara Evans clearly displays her versatile singing style on this album. From emotion packed ballads like "No Place That Far" and "Time Won't Tell" to the more lighthearted "The Great Unknown" and "Fool, I'm a Woman", Sara touches a spot in the hearts of many. "No Place..." is especially recommended to those with a newly broken heart. I found that it's an excellent source of strength to get through the day when "memories are like mountains and each one gets harder to climb". "No Place That Far" is definitely Sara's breakthrough album. Her new and upcoming album, "Born To Fly" should exceed the success of "No Place That Far"--based on the first single, "Born To Fly". It's a great song!!


Both very good and somewhat disappointing   August 17, 2000
Roger Lee (Jacksonville, FL United States)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

The above sentence seems contradictory, so I will explain. I absolutely love Sara's first album, Three Chords and the Truth. I like it both because it is very well done and because it is very traditional country; a very rare combination in modern music. I was very disappointed in this album (at least the first half) the first time I heard it. Sara has obviously made her music more pop-ish to make it more appealing to a wider audience and to country radio. I like the second half of the album much better, which has a couple of great traditional songs (These Days and Cupid are out of this world!). After listening to the CD a couple of times the first half of it grew on me; it's not very traditional, but it is good music. I am sure that Sara is under pressure to record pop flavored, radio friendly music, but I hope she will at least keep recording some traditional songs too. There are dozens of singers who consistently produce good pop-country but so very few who produce great traditional country the way that Sara can.


Well rounded collection   July 5, 2003
A.M.Boughey (Rochester, MN)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I have had the pleasure of seeing Sara Evans perform live on two occasions, and quickly realised her potential as a future star. This album is a worthy follow up, and shows her maturity in choice of music styles, and lyrical content. The album is extremely well balanced, and doesn't have a bad track. The other great thing about it is, it's flexibility, being equally at home as background music, or belting out at high volume on the car or home stereo. A truly powerful vocalist, who is fast approaching the league of Martina McBride, and even Reba McEntire, this singer is certainly one to watch, both now and in the future. My only hope is that she doesn't change too much, the more she gets established. Not quite a "must have", but almost.


Another ball hit out of the country park by Sara Evans   August 21, 2002
Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Having only recently discovered Sara Evans, I find myself going through that can't-get-enough period where I have her music on almost all the livelong day. Not only is she a superb songwriter (she wrote five of the eleven songs on this, her second album), but she has the warmest, loveliest, most distinctive singing voice. She doesn't sound like every other female country star out there--she has her own smoky, expressive tone, and it's like aural creme brulee.

Mining the typical country subjects of he-done-me-wrong and why-did-you-leave-me and think-my-heart-is-gonna-break, Sara Evans still finds new ways to approach these venerable topics. "The Great Unknown," the opening cut, is a rollicking, let's-hit-the-road traveling song. She even quotes the Eagles here, singing with a wink in her voice about wanting to stand on a street corner in Winslow, Arizona, takin' it easy. Jamie O'Hara's "Cryin' Game" is a treat as well, and on the sober "No Place That Far," Evans luxuriates in the drawn-out notes, reaching for the stars and then curling her supple voice up here and there like a cat cozying up beside a fireplace.

Beth Nielsen Chapman and Harlan Howard contributed a sweetly sad tune in "Time Won't Tell." Accompanied in the opening notes only by spare acoustic guitar, Evans uses her voice to make us hear yearning as we rarely hear it these days--adult, knowing, bittersweet. This is mature, thoughtful work.

Evans penned the lovely "These Days," which has about it the musical flavor of a traditional country tune--maybe something sung by Dolly Parton or Tammy Wynette in the 1960s. She has an uncanny knack for finding the kernel of musical truth in her songs, and that's here in powerhouse form. Others have pointed out that there's not all pure country stuff here, and they're right--but who's arguing the validity of just plain good music? Check out "Cupid," with the wittiest lyrics I've seen in a country tune in a good while:

Tell Cupid not to point that thing at me
One more hole in my poor heart
Is just what I don't need
I've been teased by fate
And burned by love
And left by Destiny
So for my heart's sake
Tell Cupid, "Wait!
Don't point that thing at me!"

And can you beat the folks who've teamed up with Evans here? It's a veritable Who's Who of country and bluegrass stars: Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Jamie O'Hara, George Jones (George JONES!), Martina McBride, and Dan Tyminski, among many others. Purely for the vote of confidence these folks have invested in her by recording with her, you owe it to yourself to check out this fine sophomore effort from the very talented Sara Evans.