RACHAEL SAGE: Smashing the Serene

Rachael Sage

Smashing the Serene

© 1998 MPress Records (601937363628)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Lilith Fair Performer & John Lennon Songwriting Contest Winner...Rich, sensual, ethnically-tinged pop. In the vein of Joni, Tori and Ani.

notes

Rachael Sage is a modern day renaissance woman. She's the creator of Feathor Boa Pop - the psychedelic musings of a young East Village woman who tours the U.S. and Europe playing some of the most interesting music in pop and rock today!

A rare combination of timeless craftsmanship and contemporary feminist sensibilities, THE VILLAGE VOICE has described her music as "earthiness, color and emotion...Sage has folk on the brain and piano keys for hands and is sure to put on a show sublime."

A John Lennon Songwriting Contest and USA Songwriting Competition winner, Rachael has toured with Ani DiFranco, played the Lilith Fair, appeared at Rockrgrl 2000, and won the ASCAP Pop Songwriting Contest twice. Sage runs her own nationally distributed label MPress Records in New York and designs instruments and clothing that have been featured in the New York Times. She has recently written her first book of poetry entitled "Karma's Trapeze", currently only available at her live shows.

"Smashing The Serene" is her second full-length release, and features her signature poetic lyrics and soulful piano playing. With a sound that ALBUM NETWORK has decribed as "universal in appeal", Sage creates music that is quirky, mystical and intimate, but with vivid, genre-crossing arrangements.

Welcome to the keyboard and vocal adventurousness of Rachael Sage!

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RECENT REVIEWS:

The Boston Globe - "She is a forthright, sassy, twentysomething New Yorker, with an independent drive...a strong voice that rings with despair, passion, anger, hope, and glory. Watch out for Rachael Sage."

Cover Magazine - "Sage's unique vocal style enhances the lyrics further, while complimenting powerful classically-charged melodies."

Cleveland Free Times - "Sage transforms the narrative of her own life and those of people close to her into vivid, universal parables."

Album Network - "Her music is deeply personal and sometimes quirky, her adeptness at blending in various ethnic tonalities gives her a sound that is universal in appeal."

HX For Her - "Rachael Sage is a beauty. She's a talented pianist. She's a folk singer with an amazing voice."

Ani DiFranco - "Go buy Rachael's album. She's not sitting at home whining because she wants to be a musician. she is a real musician touring because she wants to, without the help of the corporate umbrella."

reviews

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  • A lovely album
    author: Jimmy Reds

    I bought this CD a while ago after listening to an episode of Wiggly's Magic Milkshake Machine (or was it A Wiggly World?) podcast and I still love it now. It's great for listening to anywhere; at work, in the car, when I'm out for a walk. I've just ordered a copy of this one and Morbid Romantic for my Dad as well because I'm sure he'll love it too.

  • Phenomenal hybrid artist
    author: Peter

    Phenomenal album! Mix is slightly ruff (mix dynamics make it hard to play loud although it's a very clean recording) but fantastic songs, great voice and production. It's meaningful pop, slightly quirky, melodic, rhythmic with groove, but not afraid to take risks. A hybrid of tori amos, madonna, paula cole, bird york, lucie sylvas and alanis morissette plus a unique humungous dose of Rachael Sage on top! Something that David Bowie, Thomas Dolby and Peter Gabriel fans should check out for sure! If she'd had a better photographer/stylist, I've no doubt she would be top 20 charts already! My favourate album discovered n 2006 so far.

  • Soulful
    author: Anna, Cape Town

    I recently came across Rachel Sage and i've been sighing relief ever since. Soulful, harmonic and honest, without the brashness. Her piano is utterly moving, blending beautifully with her breathy lyrics. Smashing the Serene is perhaps my favourite, as well as Illusion's Carnival. If you like music that opens your heart and makes you feel tender and complete, this is it!

  • Lucious, profoundly poetic, gorgeous!!!
    author: Jen

    If you haven't seen Rachael Sage live, I HIGHLY reccommend it!!! Her poetic lyrics, sexy vocals and artful piano-playing are even more amazing in person. Favorite tracks: Sistersong, Bruises without blue and Cultivate.

  • Just what the Priestess ordered!
    author: Gypsy

    Wow! Sistersong just lit me up like a coven's cauldron--I hit repeat on the cd player a dozen times for this one! I felt the connection between music, words, and soul/spirit. I just couldn't resist this temptation! I think I'll get all her cds now!

  • soul-born poetry set to music
    author: eliana

    i've never heard music quite like this... it creates and exceeds it's own standards. this cd is excellent if you're tired of boring, repetitive, meaningless music and lyrics.

  • A Must-Hear! :)
    author: Alli

    I found Rachael because she was linked from Terami Hirsch's cdbaby page. I'm so impressed. This album is incredible. Extremely reminiscent of Canadian indie Andrea Florien (who is awesome as well). My girlfriend and I don't agree much on music lately -- I'm more into girl and piano or girl and guitar, and she's obsessed with Stevie Nicks and Sheryl Crow, not too into indies -- but this is one of the few CDs that we both cannot get enough of. Give "Sistersong," "Bruises Without Blue," and "Lotus Flower" a good listen... you will love it too.

  • Martha Focker!
    author: Bardlett Birthravorius

    Tori, Ani, Joni can't hold a torch to Rachi!

  • Worth your buck
    author: Annie Lin

    Rachael Sage's music shatters not only the serene, but also the stereotype that female singer songwriters limit their messages to breakup songs and love ballads. "Sistersong," the album's opening track, is a snapping and sparkling estrogen anthem. The crisp acoustic rhythm guitar on this track showcase Sage's lyrical sensibility: she is a songstress with a vocabulary. Likewise, "Bruises Without Blue" weaves mythic lyrics about "the girl who believed in fire / [w]ithout ashes and rivers only inches deep" into a mystic melody and lush instrumentation. "My Eliza" is notable for its uplifting music that manages to convey a message without crossing into overemotionality and triteness. "Conversation" is complex, lively, and almost danceably rhythmic--but it's more than a tango because it is amazingly composed in 13/8 time.

  • Rachael Sage is the greatest
    author: Byrne

    Rachael Sage is a very special person. She is, at once, very smart and very sensitive. She tells stories that are complex and interesting. The arrangements are tight and the sound quality is first-class. Bravo.

  • author: Edward

    Think Ani Difranco without the songs about how she'll never give in to the record business and without the distracting vocalizations. Rachael's CD recalls "Not a Pretty Girl," Ani's best album. "Smashing the Serene" is lush and beautiful, with many great songs. And...you know...she's...um... a pretty girl.

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