ALBUM REVIEW : ‘Expose Yourself’ by Sage
You know Sage from her wonderful collaborations, such as "Dumbala" with Jay A, where she provided a soul-pop chorus, and "So Alive", which Octopizzo . PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- My two problems with the album – sometimes the lyrics are almost too simple.
- Then, the cover and packaging bother me.
For some reason, people are not talking about this fabulous album.
Because that is what it is – a fabulous album. Deftly arranged, beautifully sang, beautifully recorded. I do not understand why Sage is not a bigger deal because this album is truly a work of art.
You know Sage from her wonderful collaborations, such as "Dumbala" with Jay A, where she provided a soul-pop chorus, and "So Alive", which Octopizzo collaborated with on the remix (although to be honest, he wasn’t necessary. Sage carried the song by herself, in my opinion. But it is not my album, and not my lovely voice), and she currently features on Just A Band member Blinky Bill’s EP offering, We Cut Keys While You Wait.
Her long-awaited album is a thrilling mix of funk, jazz and R&B neo-soul infused roots, with improvisations that are classically jazz oriented that take you on melodious journeys you didn’t see yourself going on. The things that this woman does with her voice over simple melodies gives me goose bumps – from All We Need, the introduction to the album with an Ella Fitzgerald feel and an undercover hymnal reference; Favourite Song, which I reviewed here.
- and yes, it is one of my favourite songs on the album – to the ones we all know and love like "So Alive", both the album version and the one featuring Octopizzo; Maskini…Sage does not regularly sing in Swahili, for some reason, but when she does, it sounds fantastic. The Golden-Jill Scott feeling and the playing around the tune, again, gets me every time. That sax from Peter Nyabuto feels oh so smooth! If you were to ask me my favourites in this album, this would be in the top 3, along with Mistakes, which is a feely, R&B-y tune, with a deep noughties funk undertone, and harmonies to die for.
My two problems with the album – sometimes the lyrics are almost too simple. Then, the cover and packaging bother me. They felt rushed, and of course, one would have preferred to have better quality presentation, but in this case you should definitely not judge a book – or an album – by its cover. I am on my 12th listen, and you can hear it on www.waabeh.com or www.mdundo.com.
