Tag Archives: Happenstance

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Song of the Day #5,227: ‘Worn Me Down’ – Rachael Yamagata

Continuing my look at 2004, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.

#3 – Rachael Yamagata – Happenstance

An idea I’ve had on the back burner for awhile is a theme week (or two) on my favorite debut albums. Lots of rich material to mine there.

An album that will no doubt make the cut is Happenstance, the first full-length effort by singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata. This is the only album I own by Yamagata, who has released four more since, and one that continues to impress me nearly 20 years later.

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Song of the Day #768: ‘Be Be Your Love’ – Rachael Yamagata

In writing about Arcade Fire yesterday, I explored the idea of albums that take awhile to grow on you before completely sinking in and making you a lifetime fan of an artist. I don’t know if that will happen with Arcade Fire, but it’s a definite possibility.

My favorite example of the phenomenon (one I’ve probably alluded to a dozen times on this blog already) is Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels On a Gravel Road.

And on the flip side you have artists who knocked me out on first listen and settled in among my favorites immediately (Ben Folds and Elvis Costello come to mind).

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Song of the Day #42: ‘Even So’ – Rachael Yamagata

I mentioned Rachael Yamagata in my Sara Bareilles Song of the Day pick as another of the Fiona Apple disciples who’ve hit the scene in recent years. And based solely on her debut album Happenstance, I’d definitely call her my favorite.

Yamagata is a 31-year old Japanese-American who has a powerful voice and knows her way around a keyboard. Happenstance is one of those debuts that feels like it was made by a veteran… featuring confident songwriting, bold production and a willingness to stretch the boundaries in which young singer-songwriters (especially women) are often trapped. She reminds me a lot of Apple in that way, as well as in her overall sound.

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