Alt-folk-pop singer-songwriter Rachael Sage has released a new artful video for her latest single “I Made A Case”. The single is part of her new 15-track, full-length studio album named The Other Side, which was released through MPress Records. The song features a duet with legendary UK hitmaker Howard Jones and a Bacharach-esque orchestral arrangement. The poignant ballad explores the age-old dilemma of would-be lovers meeting at the wrong time.
Rachael Sage expressed her excitement about working with Howard Jones, stating, “It was an enormous honor to have Howard Jones involved in recording the duet version, and he couldn’t have been any more encouraging or positive throughout the process!” She added that Jones was also very protective of the song, which made the collaboration even more special. The vocals of both Jones and Sage blend beautifully throughout the song, making the heartbreak sound very sweet.
The video premiered in Broadway World (US) and Classic Pop Magazine (UK), and is also the centerpiece of a Vinyl District feature.
Directed by Tobias LaMontagne (with additional performance footage shot by Mikhail Pivovarov), the melancholic video is set in a deserted house on the edge of a bluff overlooking a desolate sea. Devoid of people, Sage appears as an apparition while she plaintively performs the song at a piano – a haunting image of a person coming to terms with unrealized love.
Sage’s latest studio album The Other Side is the most grounded of her illustrious career, recalling the classic, retro-warmth of the ’70s and ’80s, with memorable Americana-infused pop hooks and folk-fueled poeticism. Blending a myriad of genres and instruments into a cohesive and captivating whole, the album’s musical collaborators include guitarists Jack Petruzzelli (Patti Smith) and James Mastro (Ian Hunter), trumpet player Russ Johnson (Elvis Costello), bassist Nick Beggs (Kajagoogoo), and guest vocals from UK pop icon Howard Jones. Track highlights include: “Whistle Blow,” an Americana palette of slide and acoustic guitars, where Sage muses on power dynamics and boundaries; Sage’s folk-pop anthem “The Other Side“, whose memorable gospel-tinged chorus and rapid-fire poeticism make it an instant classic; while the ‘60s-influenced “Flowers For Free” is poetic pop-rock at its most adventurous. The record also includes Sage’s interpretations of Yazoo’s classic “Only You”, and Maria McKee’s “Breathe”. Sage’s timeless writing reminds us what’s most important is always worth waiting for, via songs steeped in just the right amount of best-is-yet-to-come optimism.
The digital album, vinyl and deluxe physical CD – featuring 12 paintings by Sage, photographs by renowned Studio 54 photographer Bill Bernstein, along with a Bonus Disc of alternate mixes – can be streamed/ordered at: mpress.lnk.to/TheOtherSide.
