Those that have followed Sage Francis since the emcee first appeared on ANTI– Records with A Healthy Distrust in 2005 will recognize what they're hearing from the moment “Little Houdini” opens LI(F)E – it is the end of a thematic arc. Upon first appearance in 2005, A Healthy Distrust was a work of anger; that anger was impossible to miss in songs like “The Buzz Kill,” “Gunz Yo,” “Ground Control,” “Escape Artist” and lines like, “Once a man, twice a boy with a choice of vice or voice of spite/Not enough poisons to pick to enjoy life/Now I thought suicide was a suburban myth/I couldn't see my own hands being the ones I'm murdered with.”
There's no doubt it was angry, there's no doubt it was harsh – but that anger begat fury in Francis' follow-up, Human The Death Dance and fans began to wonder how long Sage Francis could last. It was a dangerous moment – or seemed to be – for everyone involved. With LI(F)E though, fans are shown from the opening of “Little Houdini” where Sage Francis was headed all along: he was hoping for resolution. The fire and fury of the emcee's earlier records is tempered on LI(F)E and, while listeners aren't given the impression that it has all been extinguished for good, there's no doubt that LI(F)E is certainly the work of a much matured Sage Francis.
There's no missing the change in demeanor exhibited by Sage Francis as gentle, acoustic guitars and organs open “Little Houdini” and present an elegaic and contemplative backdrop for the story of a career car thief named Christopher evades prison time to see his ailing mother. The tension and sadness in the emcee's voice is totally uncharacteristic of Francis – who usually spits nails in his unique staccato flow – but it is also very engaging as fans listen closer than ever to see what's going on with Sage Francis that prompted his change.
The penitent tone continues as “Three Sheets To The Wind” contemplates mortality (telling line: “Didn't ever not want to live forever”) and “I Was Zero” recounts passed regrets (“If it wasn't for the bass, I wouldn't need these hearing aids/If it wasn't for the mistakes, I probably wouldn't be hear today”), but listeners aren't given the impression that Sage is sorry for anything; it seems more like he's confessing it all while simultaneously conceding that he owns it all and isn't trying to pawn off the blame on anyone.
This sort of candor and these kinds of remembrances both dominate and characterize LI(F)E and present a different image of Sage Francis. Here, he is human – not the phenom of aggression he was on his previous records – and the introduction of more acoustic instruments (including drums in place of beats) disarm him and slow him down to make it easier to pick out every syllable of the emcee's flow. Listeners, for their part, can't help but find themselves drawn into these ruminations because they do exhibit such a clear desire to articulate these once-buried feelings and concerns (the best examples here would be in both “Polterzeitgeist”and “The Baby Stays” which will bring you to your knees if you're not careful) and the most deliberately accessible arrangements by which Sage Francis has ever been accompanied.
As “The Best Of Times” dissolves under tranquil vibes and satisfied sentiments (as satisfied as Sage has ever been, anyway), listeners discover that a strange, warm feeling has developed in the pit of their stomachs because, in his own way, Sage Francis has found his own sort of peace; at least, this most personal writer has reached the point where he's alright with himself. Of course, in that discovery also comes the question of what might come next – he's never seemed so happy before – which will have listeners right there to find out if the softness on LI(F)E remains intact for future releases or if it's only a step that Sage Francis makes along his way.
Artist:
www.strangefamousrecords.com/sage-francis/
www.myspace.com/sagefrancis
Album:
LI(F)E is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
