NEW York city songstress Rachael Sage is returning to these shores with her second solo release in this country, Chandelier.

The highly anticipated follow-up to her UK debut, The Blistering Sun, will be released on Monday, August 4.

A musically eclectic myriad of emotions, Chandelier always comes back to one central theme: fragility.

From the expansive title track Chandelier to the frenetic Vertigo, the dancer-turned-songwriter is adept at illuminating dark subject matter.

Sage, who attended Manhattan's prestigious School of American Ballet and is a self-taught pianist, already possesses a catalogue of eight solo albums and is the winner of the 2005 Independent Music Award and the 2005 Outmusic Award.

Chandelier was recorded by John Shyloski (Johnny Winter, Diana Ross), mixed by Grammy winner Kevin Killen (Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel), and contains plenty of Sage's signature baroque piano figures, lush string arrangements and wah-guitar licks, along with a heavy dose of improvisation by her regular touring outfit, The Sequins.

You can see her at The Thirsty Scholar in Manchester on Tuesday, August 5 at 8pm.

For more details visit rachaelsage.com or myspace.com/rachaelsage.