Review by Doug Cornell

Rachael Yamagata is the answer for anyone who's tired of whiny diva pop chicks. If Yamagata appeared on American Idol, they'd declare her the winner and cancel all remaining episodes (we should be so lucky!).

Happenstance begins like a Tori Amos album, with a neat piano hook and pleasantly different sounding vocals ("Be Be Your Love"). After about 30 seconds, the album transcends typical female pop fare and announces "this is the real deal."  The rocker "Worn Me Down" is a sure crowd pleaser, as a steady 4/4 beat propels all of the hooks into the right places.  A bluesy Tex-Mex acoustic guitar is a counterpoint for Yamagata's vocal emotions in "Paper Doll," while the lushly orchestrated "I'll Find a Way" is likely to find its way into a film soundtrack.  Yamagata's smoky vocals are a perfect counterpart to a slick piano riff in the mid-tempo radio-friendly track "1963."

There's more piano and acoustic guitar balladry ("Under My Skin," "Meet Me By the Water"), and there's just enough tension underlying the slow pulse of "Even So" to make the song a winner.  Rachael gets playful with the piano and stretches her raspy voice in "I Want You."  The album closes with "Reason Why," a stunning ballad, "Moments With Oliver," a brief string interlude, and "Quiet," which is exactly what the title implies.

Happenstance should find an audience with the John Mayer/Liz Phair crowd.  The production is absolutely first rate, and Yamagata has enough juice in her vocals to set herself apart from the crowd.