Music

Worth the wait (2008-11-17)
Have been waiting for 2 years for a follow up to the last musical endeavor. Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart was worth the wait. Rachael speaks from the heart.

Love The Elephants (2008-11-16)
This is contemporary folk at its best by this singer songwriter. I really enjoyed her last album 'Happenstance' but clearly 'Elephants' shows an incredible growth in her musicianship in the last 4 years. My personal taste favors the softer, lighter side to her music, that reflects on love and relationships. Maybe a bit darker, more vulnerable akin to Arrica Rose in La La Lost, but the insightful lyrics that explore emotions and situations in a poetic style in Elephants touches me. My favorite is "What I Leave." The production by Mike Mogis on this album is amazing, making it a great album to listen to.

Something's missing (2008-11-15)
I'm someone who actually likes depressing music, but this is a bit too soft and slow. Most of the songs here don't have much direction and sort of meander along, and the lyrics get buried by mumbling as well as blurry-sounding voice layering. Happenstance, while uneven, offered more moments of musical inspiration and better melodies. Her voice is lovely, and it's not a bad listen by any means, but the CD doesn't reach out and grab me like Happenstance did. I still like Rachael, though, and look forward to what she comes up with next.

Teeth sinking into my heart (2008-11-08)
Her previous record, Happenstance, has been one of the most played albums on my CD player. It's packed with my family's favs, and the whole is so astonishing and diverse. Sometimes swinging (Be be your love), sometimes old-school (I want you), real-pop (Worn me down), etc. etc. Few months ago I was immediately attracted by the appetizer to her new album, which included a great song, "The Other Side" (why wasn't it included in the final version of the album?!), but already the appetizer seemed dangerously homogenous and too `lazy'.
Now, after 4 years of patient waiting, I am disappointed. I started to listen to "Elephants" with so much hope and warm feelings in my heart, and after 20 listenings I AM DISAPPOINTED. It's ambitious, but sometimes pretentious as well. Each of the most promising songs MISSES SOMETHING. Just to mention two examples: `Duet' is moving, but Ray LaMontagne's vibrato is close to self-parody. "Sidedish friend" - wow, finally something dynamic, but it sounds like an impoverished cousin of `Worn me down' from "Happenstance".
Rachael's voice is better, deeper and more sensual than ever. It has matured over the years, but unfortunately repertoire didn't catch up. Anyway, I am still willing to make a blind subscription to every Rachael's CD. If you don't have "Happenstance" yet, it's better to devote your money to Rachael's great debut. If you liked it, you will still find some good echoes of her talent and great sensitivity on "Elephants".

Rachael at her best! (2008-10-30)
After a four year delay, Rachael Yamagata returns to her fans with her second album "Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart...". The two-disc album features an older, bolder and more mature Rachael. The first dist, "Elephants" consists of slower, piano-based songs that warms one's heart while listening though they convey rather heart-breaking lyrics. The opening song "Elephants", which is the album's title and the inspiration behind it, is just so poetical and soft and fragile. The first disc also features the instrumental version of the song which is just as beautiful as former one. A 9-minute version of Rachael's one of best songs, "Sunday Afternoon" also gives the listeners a perfect perspective of Rachael's main inspirations, which are her heart breaks and failed relationships. The disc also has "Duet", which is a duet between Ray LaMontagne and is a beautiful balled. "Brown Eyes" has vocals from Maria Taylor, another favorite of mine. The second disc, "Teeth Sinking Into Heart", features Ms. Yamagata "rocking out" with more guitar based, faster songs, though it has its slow moments with "Pause The Tragic Ending" and "Don't".
I ordered the album from Turkey and waited almost three weeks for delivery, but it was worth the wait, and even more. Rachael Yamagata is simply amazing and deserves more and more attention.