It's been four long years since Rachael Yamagata [ tickets ]'s hauntingly elegant solo debut, "Happenstance," awed fans of pop-laced folk rock, as well as listeners who'd only previously heard her distinct feminine vocals interlaced with funk fusion in the Chicago outfit Bumpus. This long awaited sophomore effort chronicles the perils of heartache and, after time, the subsequent realignment of a love life through a creative two-part album.

Encapsulating the sadness, pain and inevitable questioning of a breakup in nine songs and one hidden gem, "Elephants" debuts with the title track, full of whispered words, dainty piano and moments of soaring orchestral strings. "What If I Leave," written more than a decade ago, feels like an auditory viewing window into the mind of a left lover grasping to understand, with propositions and what-ifs swimming around in a tepid bath of soft melody.

Dark and vulnerable, "Elephants" continues on this emotional trajectory as Yamagata seems to work through the first few stages of grief--the misery, the anger, the loneliness. Sonically, the album takes a momentary upswing on "Sunday Afternoon," with her still reflective vocals gaining strength ("I won't live for you/or die for you/or do anything anymore for you") and a wailing electric guitar the perfect accompaniment at points, juxtaposed with more moody strings.

The five-track second portion, "Teeth Sinking Into Heart," kicks off with the furious "Sidedish Friend," a short but potent burst of guitar-driven energy in which Yamagata lays down the rules for a part-time lover, while "Faster" tells the ex to get lost rock-star style: "I'm going faster/you're going backwards/you're going to miss me when I'm gone." It's in these final songs that the delicate songstress finds her feet again, her sad croon transforming into a sturdy--albeit still soft--voice full of clarity, personal strength and ownership. "Don't," the roller-coaster album's final track, may still sound oh-woe-is-me with the "Twin Peaks"-esque bassy notes and Yamagata's slow drawl, but listen to the lyrics and you'll realize this woman in transition will do just fine on her own, thank you very much.