I want to write like Rachael Yamagata sings.
Tuesday night at the Birchmere, I saw Rachael Yamagata for the first time. I’m in love. And so is everyone else that was there for her performance. Her relaxed manner, easy banter, and approachable rapport, played the perfect transition to her smoky voice as she levitated the audience through her new material and reminded us of her old. She was that good.
Of course, after the lip singing disaster and techno-hyped visual seizure known as Sunday’s Video Music Awards, Elmo could have sung, and I’d have been all for it. It was beyond refreshing to have some saunter on stage, sit down to a piano she was actually going to play, comment that “pretty sure love isn’t going to work today, so I’ll do this,” and then produce from the ether a powerful voice with substantive lyrics that left tingles. “For those of you in love, keep it kind, kept it good, keep it right…and keep one eye open at night.” Or not-so-subtle, individualistic anthems like “well don’t you set me free, I [already] belong to me.”
Then again, any one who can introduce a painfully sad song as “for the one person who got me more than anyone else…except you Dad,” is hard to resist. Especially when she then sings, “and you’re scared, because I feel like home.” This was followed by the mournful self-observation that she does not drink beer on her runs. Well, we’re all mortal somehow. But barely.
Now if only she could have taken more stage time from Mandy Moore. (OK, Fine, I do like blogging offers a different perspective.)
Yes, that is the world’s oddest touring pair, and I’m refusing to dwell on it.
FYI. Yamagata’s new album is out in January. Winter just got better.
6 responses so far ↓
1 towwas // Sep 13, 2007 at 9:24 am
Yeah, Mandy Moore was pretty great. Not as great as Rachael Yamagata, who is completely hilarious and should be way more famous than she is, but still great. Particularly good moment: ever-so-slightly stalkerish audience member gives Mandy a rose with a note on it, and she reads the note and is all, aw, sweet, thank you, David. Then after she puts it away on the piano, she says “I totally just smelled it, and it was fake.” (She was making fun of herself for not noticing, not of the guy.)
Oh also, she did Umbrella, and it was great.
2 Sarah Moffett // Sep 13, 2007 at 10:35 am
How Rachael Yamagata is not more famous is beyond me? Clearly she needs to be cast in Saved! II for more notoriety.
If I had known the theatrics of the Moore production would possibly keep pace with Yamagata’s singing, I might have stayed. “Might” being the operative word. I recently saw Ingrid Michaelson, another songwriting, piano playing artist, bust out with “Umbrella” in the middle of oh-so-Grey’s-Anatomy soundtrack concert. Priceless.
3 towwas // Sep 13, 2007 at 8:52 pm
I thought I’d outgrown piano-playing singing women (coughtoriamoscough) but then I heard Rachael Yamagata’s EP on a listening station at the Olsson’s by the Shakespeare Theatre. Curse you Olsson’s employees with your clever ploys! Making me spend money on CDs!
4 Post-tour with Rachael Yamagata. // Oct 25, 2007 at 3:14 pm
[…] Big Yamagata fan here. For those of you who do not know what or who a Yamagata is, shift from your Japanimation thoughts to a world of smoky lounge singers that rock to honest, vulnerable lyrics that spare the audience sentimental sap. Rachael Yamagata recently wrapped up her pre-album release tour, and posted this sincere and beautiful summary. Writers, readers, music listeners, and travelers alike will appreciate. Enjoy. […]
5 I’ll take anything. But N’Sync, Harps, Kenny Chesney, Kilted Tuba Players, and… // Oct 31, 2007 at 2:10 pm
[…] up there with no running and no drinking. What’s a girl to do? Rachael Yamagata’s new album is not out yet, Shiny Toy Guns is nowhere to be found, The The’s new album is barely keeping my musically […]
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