By Lisa DiCarlucci
With heart-wrenching vocals and some rocking piano melodies, Rachael Yamagata is the answer to Vanessa Carlton and Norah Jones’ fans that have the urge to take their music listening to the next level. Passion is definitely Yamagata’s middle name, whether it’s the lyrics she writes or the love she expresses to her fans. On Dec. 10 at the Bowery Ballroom, she played a set mixing emotional ballads with straight-up communal rock songs and made it seem effortless.
The Bowery, a quaint yet popular venue on Delancey Street, was packed to the rafters for Yamagata’s show. What was unique about this performance was that the place was just as crowded for the opening band as it was for the headliner.
The opening, “The Low Anthem,” a folk indie band hailing from Providence, R.I., had a strong fan base despite a lack of notoriety. The lead singer sounded like a mix between Bob Dylan and Connor Oberst of Bright Eyes. Other than a consistent singer however, all three band members switched instruments several times throughout the set. These included several horns and a clarinet, which are unconventional but added to the experience seamlessly.
What Rachael Yamagata shares with “The Low Anthem,” besides talent, is a passionate group of fans, and rightly so. Yamagata opened the set with her single “Elephants,” a strong ballad with pleading and deep lyrics. Her voice was tortured and beautiful.
Despite such heavy music, her stage presence is light and joyful and her sense of humor, though dark at times, drew serious laughter from the crowd. She has the essence of just being another one of the girls, talking about getting her heart broken and the thrills of plotting revenge against ex-lovers. Before a song on this particular topic, Yamagata said only slightly bitterly, and mostly humorously, “I hope that when the guy I wrote this song about hears this and knows it’s about him and is drunk and has a knife near him, he takes action.”
What Yamagata offers her audience is a true sense of connection. She openly shares the stories behind each song regardless of its circumstance. A fan can’t help but feel a bond with an artist who gives a song context as a storyteller and ties in the emotions with sound of her music. Yamagata’s performance is a total package.
Just as her ballads can rip into your heart, Yamagata’s more upbeat rock out songs, like “Side Dish Friend” are in your face and packed with energy. This particular song, a stab at former friends with benefits, is introduced as a song, “for all you girls who have ever been a booty call.” The song is sassy just like the artist and not to mention empowering.
Rachael Yamagata has a ton of spunk, a charming and twister sense of humor, but most notably and infinite amount of talent and potential which is only reinforced by her live performance. Yamagata is absolutely one to watch.