I get pretty excited for new Sage albums. Ever since I saw him destroy Coachella with an amazing set in ‘04 I’ve been a loyal fan. When I had the CD in my hand and I was walking out to the car I actually chanted his name to the tune of Grieg’s famous symphony. Embarrassing, I know! It’s a beautiful day so I can’t wait to cruise and listen to this disc. First things first, I hit up a coffee shop to grab an americano as well as a cinnamon bun (in fact I buy a tray of 6…homies gotta eat too) as I never review rap albums on an empty stomach. The first track “little Houdini” hits and it’s a great outlaw tale about a man breaking out of jail to see his dying mother. The beat is very interesting and Sage rides it hard, switching up between soft-spoken and hard-nosed delivery so easily. In fact, all the beats on this album are “rock-based” in one way or another and most are great. Sage has a good feel for how to rap over a live band. Even though the style of the songs switch with every track, he effortlessly finds the flow needed to capture the emotion of the beat. A couple of the beats are kinda bland and it’s Sage that holds them together, big time. Upon first listen I’m really digging most of the tracks, especially “Polterzeitgeist,” “Three Sheets to the Wind” and last but not least “The Best of Times” which is the second single off of the album. It’s an amazing, very epic track and it contains everything that I’ve fallen in love with Sage for over the years (no homo). The brooding intro builds into the beat and some seriously great wordplay follows. Songwriting is really at the forefront in this album. You can tell that every song has been crafted and delivered in a very intricate way. Bridges, verses and choruses all mix well with the different styles of rock in a seamless flow of an album.

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After a week of listening on repeat: “If it wasn’t for the bass, I wouldn’t need hearing aids/ If it wasn’t for mistakes I probably wouldn’t be here today” I realize it’s lines like this that make Sage’s new album so relatable for me. Good coming-of-age rap is hard to find these days; fortunately a handful of rappers are finally letting the rhymes and subject matter catch up with their age and are comfortable with it. On top of being comfortable with his rhymes, it’s Sage’s comfort with the beats that I find so amazing about this album. Not many rappers can adapt to the kind of organic/rock-based beats that Sage can. Think of it as a Buck 65 album where he actually does what he says he does (RAP!!). Whether it’s country-tinged like “Little Houdini,” “I Was Zero” and my favorite of the three “Worry Not” or more indie/punk like “Three Sheets to the Wind,” Sage has the ability to adapt and flow precisely the way the song needs. He understands the vocal dynamics needed to make these songs not sound like a 90’s rap/rock gimmick. A standard-issue, monotone flow, 2010 rapper would likely derail all the music made for this album. The whole album has a nice feel to it; there are not many samples but the one between tracks 1 & 2 is a perfect fit for the album. It features two people on an Evangelical TV show talking about how they will live forever. It’s well used because the theme of the album appears to be freeing yourself from religion to truly live life. The final point that I need to make about this album is to reiterate how good the song “Best of Times” is. When I first heard it I loved it, but this song is crazy good. The CD player in my car is probably going to go on strike soon if I force it to play the track anymore. It’s been a while since I’ve re-listened to specific parts of a song just to make sure I’ve got the words memorized right. For a week and a half I listened to this track at least 5 times a day and I’m still not sick of it. Not many songs can cram that many ideas into a 5 minute time span. All-in-all if you’re a Sage fan, you’re really gonna like this album no question. But the clincher for me is that if you’re unfamiliar or not typically a fan, this record is very listenable across the board and may sway you to his music. In fact, at one point I wondered if this would be the first rap album my dad listens to!

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