Soundbites: "Chesapeake"
“Chesapeake”
Rachel Yamagata
Frankenfish Records
By Leah Christianson
Oct. 11, 2011 1:09 a.m.
In the three years since her last studio album, singer and songwriter Rachael Yamagata has contributed to albums by Katharine McPhee, Terra Naomi and even the Muppets. It’s about time that she gave her listeners something of her own.
Released on her personal label, Frankenfish Records, Yamagata’s new album, “Chesapeake,” debuts today. This third studio album maintains elements from both of her previous albums, “Happenstance” and the two-part “Elephants … Teeth Sinking In.” While Yamagata maintains her signature husky voice, the breathy sadness found in many of the songs off her sophomore effort is gone on “Chesapeake,” and replaced with a sense of optimism.
For example, compare “Sunday Afternoon,” from “Elephants,” to “Saturday Morning,” from “Chesapeake.” The sad violin and lamenting lyrics are replaced with a light acoustic guitar and Yamagata’s lyrics urging listeners to “look how lucky we are.” Yamagata has clearly undergone an attitude transformation that decided to manifest itself on this album.
While “Chesapeake” lacks the powerful attitude woven into “Happenstance,” it has a buoyant tone that showcases a woman who seems to have found her sense of wonder once again. The album spans from hopeful tunes such as the opening track, “Even If I Don’t,” to lamentations over losing a lover who couldn’t commit in “Full On.”
Yamagata’s fame stems from her songwriting ability, and the lyrics on “Chesapeake” do not disappoint. “The Way it Seems to Go” displays her emotional contradictions, with lyrics saying: “I’ll take a tragedy over a fairytale / But only when the sun is shining / I’ll be the voice of hope in your darkest hour / I’m an expert in the silver lining / I’ll be there when you need me for all the big things / But I’m pretty pathetic at perfect timing.”
Most of the songs revolve around romance. “I Don’t Want to be Your Mother” is a haunting plea for a lover to grow up that showcases Yamagata’s ability to transition from low gravelly vocals to a high falsetto. In contrast, “Stick Around” has a groovy beat that flows smoothly along with Yamagata’s rich vocals as she sings about someone who has caught her eye.
Yamagata’s songs sound like Norah Jones’s early work colored a few shades darker, with the vocals similar to Fiona Apple. She is also reminiscent of a female Ray LaMontagne ““ with whom she collaborated in 2006 ““ on the track, “Miles on a Car.”
The album starts off strong, with layered harmonies and soulful grooves. Although it provides songs that stretch from hopeful and pop-y to nostalgic and morose, many of them employ the same melodic tricks, blending them all together into an indistinguishable mass with nothing standing out as a frontrunner. “Chesapeake” is easy on the ears ““ good for a Sunday morning or a rainy afternoon. While the tunes are not quite as catchy as hits from her debut album, Yamagata’s third effort is nothing to be scoffed at.
