Rachael Sage
The Blistering Sun
Mpress Records

Rachael Sage has been around a while, making intelligent singer singer/songwriterly records. Her new effort sees her being more ambitious than ever, broadening her appeal.

Opener "Alright, OK" is enhanced by horns and has a neat chorus that's hard to get out of one's head. "93 Maidens" examines the fate of a Jewish girl in Warsaw during the war, without hitting too much on the sentimental tangent. "Hit Song" takes on the ironies of the music biz and success to a neat, rhythmic tune. "Surprise" is a piano ballad that might have been on Sage's previous albums, but handled with more levity. She's recorded what might be her best album yet.

Copyright © 2008 Anna Maria Stjärnell