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Rachael Sage
Chandelier
M Press
"I used to be an average girl with hair down to my knees," sings Rachel Sage on her new album Chandelier. That must have been a long time ago, because there's nothing average about Sage. A Stanford graduate, a former ballerina at the esteemed School of American Ballet, a self-taught pianist, a college DJ and a friend of the late John Lee Hooker, Sage is actually quite remarkable. The follow-up to 2006's marvelous effort The Blistering Sun, Chandelier might be Sage's finest work yet. There are her customary spot-on piano-fueled pop numbers ("My Word," "Wishbone") and thoughtful ballads ("Chandelier"), but on her eighth album the New York-based singer/songwriter really shows the depth of her range. The breezy and wistful "Invincible" is an elegant and rootsy offering; the tenor sax-tinged "Moonlight & Fireflies" is a gentle jazzy track and "Angel In My View" -- thanks to a soaring trumpet fill -- is a swinging winner. Elsewhere, "Beloved" is a moving instrumental, "Corinne" is affecting and lovely and her reading of Jump Little Children's "Mexico" aches with longing and resolve. Shimmering with passion, sincerity and rolling hooks, Chandelier should finally get Sage the massive audience she deserves.
--Alex Green
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