Rachael Yamagata - Happenstance

Rachael Yamagata will be compared to many artists of the female pop ilk. Why so many comparisons? Because Yamagata jumps all over the spectrum on her debut release, Happenstance. The 26-year old Washington, DC, native pens many tales of an emotional rollercoaster that could draw you into the variety of sounds. The radio take “Worn Me Down” plays through the emotional withdrawal of a break up and the subsequent feelings of attachment that won’t go away. Powered by a fast-paced pop beat and the kind of requisite chorus that have made artists like Sarah McLachlan popular, this one will drive charts and pave recognition for Yamagata. The funk and soul influence of the five-year journey with the Chicago-based band Bumpus has rubbed off on the young starlet in a big way. Utilizing a rip-roaring, eerie, sultry growl discovered while in the band, Yamagata portrays an “old soul” on a majority of the intense and emotional tracks. Being self-taught in piano and setting the arrangements on many of the tracks on Happenstance herself puts a stamp on the music that is pure Rachael Yamagata, an artist in her own right. [www.rachaelyamagata.com]