Spotlight: Rachael Sage
‘Another Side’ marks a reimagining of your 15th studio album, ‘The Other Side’. What inspired you to revisit and rework this particular album?
Often on tour, listeners ask, “What album sounds the most like what I’ve just heard you do live?” and it can be a struggle to point to anything that’s not highly produced alt-pop. After over a year of playing these songs on tour with my violinist, cellist, and harmonica player, I decided to rebuild these arrangements with a roots/folk aesthetic. This shift also caters to the folk community, which I love being a part of even though I aspire to be “genre-bending” overall.
Can you share more about the process of collaborating with Mikhail Pivovarov and Grammy winner Andy Zulla on this project?
Mikhail, my longtime engineer, was my right hand during this project. We spent many hours at my home studio, The Creek, recording various special guests and re-recording my parts. From the beginning, he understood the assignment. He’s also a wonderful bassist who played extensively on my previous (companion) record ‘The Other Side’. Although he doesn’t play upright bass, so for tracks that needed that sound, we brought in guests like Conrad Korsch (Rod Stewart).
Andy Zulla, my longest-running musical collaborator, met me when I was a teenager. He’s always understood my musical vision and supports it as a mixer while bringing years of experience and creativity. His guitar-only mix of “I Made A Case (ft. Howard Jones)” is one of my favourite tracks and went through several incarnations before we found the right balance. We’re both obsessed with Glen Hansard and The Swell Season, which influenced the vibe of that track.
The new album features esteemed artists such as Crys Matthews and Annalyse & Ryan. How did these collaborations come about, and what did each artist bring to the project?
Americana duo Annalyse & Ryan are my friends and neighbours from the Hudson Valley in NY. During lockdown, they were actively involved in our music community. They hosted musical events with multiple artists and invited me to participate. That’s how our relationship began, and we’ve toured together since. Annalyse is one of the best mandolin players I’ve met, and Ryan’s voice is deep and rich, reminiscent of Marc Cohn, who is my favourite male voice!
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