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Each successive CD release from Sacha Sacket has marked a dramatic chapter in his artistry. From his debut, Alabaster Flesh, through Shadowed, Lovers & Leaders and Live At The Zone, what remains constant is Sacketís ability to move beyond his comfort zone and surpass creative expectations.

Hermitage is a vital link in this narrative. As the title suggests, after frenetic phases of recording and touring, Sacket disappeared into the Southern California mountains. "It was snowing. There was a dirt path to a cabin. I had to chop wood to stay warm," he says. For the singer/songwriter, raised in the suburbs, the wilderness offered space for reflection and renewal. "When you are on your own and havenít seen anyone for more than a week, strange things rise to the surface," says Sacket. "In some cases, issues you didnít even know were there. You think about your life completely differently." This experience brought forth the five extraordinary songs of Hermitage.

Sacha returned to the cabin to record, bringing a producer/engineer for the duration, and inviting a roster of musicians into the mountains to add to the tracks, which were then completed in Los Angeles. Sacket generally preferred his first take vocals, which invests Hermitage with an intense emotional immediacy. Lifted by the thunder of drums and the edges of a cello, the sound is rich, orchestral and epic, with Sachaís impassioned vocals alternately intimate and bravura.

The theme of the song suite is introduced on the opening track, "Running Away," and its prophetic lines "Deep within their astral plane/ You can see the light again." "Used" is ushered in with obsessive bells, as anger echoes in the refrain and turns inward with the line, ìBut you know itís your fault/Begging for what you want,î an incendiary electric guitar fanning the flames of self-recrimination. The vulnerable, open veined ìYou Couldî begins with an expression of doubt before segueing a litany of hope, as the songwriter blurs the lines between love, life and art with his words, ìGot to rise about the precious stuff/Gotta just say what I mean.î

ìHold Onî is a mantra to the future, ìYou can hate it/But you canít erase the stretch of time.î Clarifies Sacket, ìMy music isnít there for me to sit and listen to. As an artist, my process is making it and going through that catharsis. I could easily recreate the same situation every time, but I like to go where Iím not comfortable.î

In keeping with that philosophy, upon the completion of Hermitage, Sacha traveled solo to Russia for two weeks. In the land of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, his vision became even more significant. ìI already had the title, but when I went to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg it made even more sense. It is a palace ñ the size of the Louvre -- that Catherine the Great had constructed so that she could spend time alone. "That idea encapsulated the album for me. This grand, opulent palace for solitude and reflection."

Etched in eerie falsetto and sonorous cello, Hermitageís conclusion, ìThe River,î distills a complex theme into an effortless couplet: ìYou canít win if you canít swim.î Sacha Sacket survived the currents by moving to higher ground. Hermitage is a postcard from a remote outpost, a missive to anyone who feels overwhelmed by the relentless demand to fulfill otherís needs. The message is simple: the truth exists within; we need only the solitude to hear it. ìSometimes you have to shut the world off to find out who you really are,î says Sacha. Hermitage reveals the answer.

With the release of his second album, Shadowed (2004) Sacha Sacket took his artistry far a field touring relentlessly with concerts at hundreds of colleges and music venues while garnering airplay on 150+ independent, college and NPR stations. With the advent of myspace, his audience grew exponentially and national media outlets soon took notice. Noted one reviewer, ìSacketís music is not one for easy comparison. His remarkable and plaintive sensitivity conjures thoughts of a young Elton John, while a beautiful, textured piano recalls his classical past ñ a young obsession with Beethoven. His talent, however, is undeniable from any perspective. Armed with a unique and powerful voice, which is perhaps his greatest asset, Sacket grabs you right in the gut and never lets go.î

With Lovers and Leaders, even though Sacket confronts emotional vulnerability, his position is one of strength. ìIím not crying, walking down the street or anything,î he laughs. ìMy music balances me. Itís a super shot, an ëespressoí shot of me. In my music, I say things that Iíve never said to anybody. Itís private stuff that I donít really talk about: except to the world.î