How can anyone not like Damian Sage? He delivers, plain and simple. Each and every time. He is an extremely talented artist, versatile and engaging. From Blues to Rock, to Indie and Alternative sounds, he never misses a beat. A native of New York, Damian Sage is a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, CA. On July 27th, he is releasing his new single – “The Hardest Goodbye” – through Dark Spark Music, a label headed by former Guns N Roses manager, and Grammy Award winner, Vicky Hamilton. An artist of integrity and guts, Damian has never sold out to the pressures of marketing agencies and recording companies, keeping his sound as authentic as possible.
Damian’s emotional yet accurate voice has that gruff timbre that holds the notes without bluffing. There is talent to be reckoned with here, as he deals out a blend of competency and passion. Moreover, his songs tend to know exactly what they’re doing, which is exactly the point with “The Hardest Goodbye”. The more you search for someone else’s fingerprints in his music, the more you discover how much Damian in his own lane.
It would be wrong to say this is a perfect single, but it is. And that mostly is because of Damian’s consistently unmeasured approach. There are times when he rises up like a hellfire preacher to batter down the afflictions of relationship decay. It’s at times like these that his voice shows the chops to give any of his stalwart peers a serious challenge. He perfectly renders the passion that is evident in the song’s concept.
The crux of the song is Damian Sage’s visceral response to lost love. It is almost impossible for one not to be moved by the pathos this song evokes. His desolate though powerfully nuanced vocal delivery is utterly compelling, as he moves us with his sentiments: “The more that I want you. The more that you lie. The end of the road. The end of the line. The hardest goodbye”
Sage is effortlessly in control of his own faculties as a singer songwriter, and his uniquely warm and distinctive organic sound is abundantly present throughout the recording, fitting the heartbreaking nature of the song.
This beautiful piano-driven ballad, is probably one of Damian’s best songs ever. The arrangement is essentially uncluttered, with mostly the strings adding dramatic impact. This does not detract from the song, if anything, it reinforces the vocal, and therefore the lyrics to shine.
Damian’s style of vocal brings the narrative to life. His delivery is slow and clear, leaving space to add impact to the lyrics. Then as the song progresses, the sound builds, getting bigger and louder, to match the angered desperation of the story-line.
Eventually the song brings him to the end of the road as he looks at the situation directly in the eye and shares what he feels with unflinching honesty and strength – “I’ve run out of words. I’ve run out of time. The hardest goodbye.”
OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – INSTAGRAM – RECORD LABEL – YOUTUBE – SPOTIFY
