Sara Evans is a great country singer, witness "Three Chords and the Truth". She is also a great modern country artist, witness "No Place That Far".

"Born to Fly" is a another good set of music. There isn't a bad song on the whole album. That's the good news. The bad news is that "Born to Fly" contains 5 minutes of country music and 47 minutes of pop-groove country-ish music. The songs are very listenable, even repeatedly listenable, but there's just too much "twain" and too little "twang" in this stuff. With the exception of one song, "I Learned That From You", this is a pop-country album. Sara doesn't quite seem to be on the Shania-and-Faith-track but she's taken a bigger step from country music with this album than she did with "No Place That Far". If you're expecting to hear the steel guitar cry then this album will disappoint you in a big way. If, however, you can tolerate your country by a great singer but in a somewhat diluted form then you will like "Born to Fly".

I can't help but wonder what George Jones and the other old timers who helped Sara get started in the business think about where she's gone, can't help but imagine that they think she's sold her country soul for the pop dollar.

Oh, Sara, if you would only read this. With your sultry looks, sleek figure, gorgeous brown hair, pouting eyes, and killer legs, I wouldn't care if you croaked like a frog. Yet your golden voice does even more to make my knees buckle; Sara, you got a voice with such artistic range and sweet feminine quality that it's obvious to me someone let you out of Heaven itself. And your nifty CD entitled BORN TO FLY showcases your talent, and has the ability to appeal to everyone from goat ropers to head bangers.

Sara, how am I doin' so far?

This CD is a delicious, delectable treat. Several of the tracks were smash hits, including the title song, "Born to Fly," and the romantic gusher "I Could Not Ask for More." Other favorites include the toe-tappin' "Let's Dance" (wouldn't mind if I do, Sara) and a great remake of the pop hit "Every Little Kiss." Gotta admit, though, "I Learned that from You" was a little too redneck for my tastes, Sara (actually a lot too redneck for my tastes), but what the heck, you still deliver the lyrics and melody like an Athens goddess. But by far my favorite track is the sensational "I Keep Looking":

"I keep lookin',
I keep lookin' for,
I keep lookin' for something more."

Sara, here I am, darlin'! But you'll have to catch me either on my voice mail or e-mail; I'll be too busy listening to your album BORN TO FLY. Feel free to fly out of Heaven and come see me sometime. xxoo
--D. Mikels

Once in a while you come across an album that maybe you didn't really want at first, but after a dozen listens, you can no longer live without it. "Born to Fly" is one of those albums for me. It has earned a permanent spot in my 6 disc CD changer in my car, and will never leave. Sara has the most brilliant, soft, beautiful voice country music has ever heard. Her songs are so touching, and every time I listen to this album I find something new that I love. My favorite song has to be "I Learned that From You", a heart wrenching song about lost love due to alcoholism. There is no fluff here - every song touches me in a different way. Do yourself a gigantic favor and pick up this CD - you will thank me later.

I didn't think Sara could top her excellent Three Chords And The Truth CD, but she did. Sara has a lovely voice that reminds me of Patty Loveless's voice, only Sara's is a little lower. "I Learned That From You," a gorgeous and well written song about the different stages of love, sounds like it could have been done by Patty. Most songs, however, do have Sara's unique stamp on them. It helps to use some musicians who don't seem like they are on every other country album. She's going a bit in the direction Terri Clark did on Fearless. Which means a more elaborate sound than before. The rocking "I'm Still Looking" is more straightforward, but not cookie cutter either. "Saints And Angels" tells a nice tale about how we aren't perfect, but in moments of love, we can show power that saints and angels have. It's very insprational and another beautiful song. The rising "You Don't" will definitely stop you in your tracks with how it's constructed to unleash the full force of Sara's voice. Definitely this is an important country CD for your collection.

Imagine this...an album full of good songs...no you are not dreaming, this is one of those albums. Every track is sung with passion and the lyrics aren't just teenieboppin fluff to fill in the time between radio singles . What stands out for me is Sara's unique voice...strong, sassy, and yet soothing. I can listen to this cd over and over again...every track. My favs are 'Four-Thirty', 'I Learned That From You', 'Saints and Angels' and 'Why Should I Care'. There is plenty of range from upbeat to sad songs, both of which Sara performs beautifully. This is a classic, one that I know I will listen to years from now and love it just as much as the first week I listened to it. If you are not familiar with Sara, this is the cd to buy!!