This sincerity is what makes Other Life so incredibly compelling. On song after song, Savage pours himself out for the listener; often, he sounds like he’s on the verge of tears, his voice quavering with unbridled emotion.
It takes a good deal of bravery to write and record songs that are so naked and unflinching, and it pays off: Savage's courage and palpable investment in the material makes it easy to connect and empathize with his subject matter.
Other Life, while being a solid album, falls short of being any type of definitive statement about his place in the landscape of his scene or the world at large.
Get past the Bronski Beat animal trauma vibes and Savage's other life is rich and full.
Fusing love and pain with a cutting introspection, all his emotions are strewn into a heaped pile to be picked apart.
There’s no doubt that Sean Nicholas Savage is a supremely talented songwriter who shows great promise but a nagging doubt remains whether he is truly sincere in his work.
Other Life isn’t too polished, which means it will appeal to Savage’s pre-existing cult fan base but not the wider audience it aims for.
Other Life feels patchy; a work in progress that initially offers a solid template, before getting bored of itself.