Smart Pop: Ingrid Michaelson's Latest Releases

Ingrid Michaelson

Oh, Ingrid.  If I ever gave you a tepid review, would it ruin my chances of having you as my next plural wife?  Not to worry - our relationship is secure.  Your seventh album, "It Doesn't Have To Make Sense" is okay!

I've been a fan of Ingrid Michaelson since her MySpace days and have all of her albums.  In fact, this is my third review of her material.  In 2012, I reviewed "Human Again" - still my favorite of her records.  And exactly two years and one day ago, I reviewed her last album, "Lights Out".

On her seventh effort, she continues her tradition of piano ballads, reminiscent of Tori Amos or Regina Spektor, snappy pop tunes, and smart lyrics.  Like on the last release, Ingrid relinquishes some of her creative control and brings on other songwriters to assist her, but her presence in both production and songwriting remains prevalent.

The album starts out with ""Light Me Up", a dreamy pop tune dominated with Ingrid's signature piano and plaintive voice.  "Whole Lot of Heart" is probably one of my favorites here, subdued and yet insistent.  I see smoke-filled cafe in the early dawn when I hear this.  "Miss America" , with its danceable electronica is probably the most commercially accessible song on here, addictive and effervescent.  Ingrid shows her vocal range with shivering trills on "Another Life".  On "I Remember Her", she does what she does best with just a piano and her voice.  The somber "Drink You Gone", with its orchestral accompaniment, she shows her lyrical prowess and tells an alcoholic story.  "Hell No" has an impeccable bounce and comes in as the album's first single.  "Still the One" and "Celebrate" hone her pop sensibilities, and the album finishes out with a whisper on another ballad with the wistful "Old Days" - just a piano and a faint accordion.

If having this album wasn't gift enough for diehard fans like me - tomorrow, on May 12th, Ingrid is releasing a new EP called "Alter Egos" that features refreshing versions of the songs on "It Doesn't Have To Make Sense" which includes a remake of "Whole Lot of Heart" with Tegan & Sara, "I Remember Her" with Lucius, "Drink You Gone" with John Paul White, an acoustic version of "Miss America with Sara Bareilles, who has performed with Ingrid before, and an amped up version of "Celebrate" with AJR.  If you are a fan, be sure to download this tomorrow.

Hopefully, Ingrid will keep making sweet music, and maybe one day she will accept my imaginary proposal without saying, "Hell no!"

Ingrid Michaelson Hits Paydirt on Sixth Record

Ingrid Michaelson

As you may or may not know, I have followed Ingrid Michaelson's career since her MySpace days, even reviewing her album "Human Again" on this blog.  For her sixth studio album, "Lights Out", Ingrid hits paydirt again, although this album is vastly different than her other releases.

Ingrid Michaelson, a brainy beauty from New York with tortoise-shell glasses, is like our generation's Lisa Loeb.  She has always been kind of folksy, but "Lights Out" takes a vastly different direction, with more of a pop flare.  Ingrid has also been known to have an almost jealous control of her music, often secluding herself in the studio with just herself and a producer, exclusively writing all of her own material.  This collection is more of a collaborative effort, using an army of songwriters - like Storyman, Trent Dabbs, and Mat Kearney.  She also uses several guest musicians.  The result is a warm, bubbly pop album that retains Ingrid's distinctive style and effervescence.

Of course, just about everyone has heard the singles from this record as they receive heavy airplay on most pop stations.  There is the memorable "Girls Chase Boys" with its video paying homage to Robert Palmer, as well as the jazzy "Time Machine" with its hilarious video with several celebrity comedian cameos.  And "Afterlife", one of my favorites with its easily identifiable whistling intro.

But there are plenty of other good songs on here.  There is the somber "Wonderful Unknown", sung with her ex-husband, Greg Laswell.  "Stick" with its light synth beat is probably my favorite song on here.  "Over You", a piano ballad with A Great Big World is pretty good.

This album is not as moody and as moving as "Human Again", but, for a pop album it is pretty good.  I wish that more pop artists had as much integrity as Ingrid Michaelson.  I have followed her for a while, and I will likely keep following her.

Moroni's Review of Ingrid Michaelson's "Human Again"

For our thirteenth (and final) anniversary, Temple and I got each other simple gifts.  After all, we were going to New York City.  Temple bought me books - a thick copy of the third "Game of Thrones" novel and two Conan graphic novels.  (I was pleased.)  I ordered her the new Ingrid Michaelson album from Amazon.

The album had been out since January, and, every chance we got, we would scour any store that carried CDs for it.  We never found it.  I offered to download a digital copy, but Temple refused.  When she got this album, she wanted a physical CD that she could hold in her hands.  So, for our anniversary, I ordered a copy - a $13 parting gift.

It arrived on our anniversary, and I dropped it off at her house, complete in the bubble wrap.  A week, or so, later, we took our trip to New York.  The entire drive to the airport in Phoenix, we listened to the album.  I asked Temple if she liked it.  She said that, right now, it is her favorite album.  She listened to it constantly.  She said that it was Ingrid Michaelson's best album.

And Temple has all of Ingrid Michaelson's albums.  Temple loves Ingrid Michaelson, has for years.  And - as with most of the music Temple listens to - I got her into Ingrid Michaelson.

In 2007, I was remodeling a hotel in Pittsburgh.  One morning, while I was getting ready for work, I was watching Good Morning, America.  The night before was the season finale of Grey's Anatomy - a show that I have never watched to this day.  There was a poignant scene, and they chose the music of an unknown musician named Ingrid Michaelson.  She had not released an album yet, and the producers had discovered her music on MySpace.

They interviewed Ingrid.  She was a brainy beauty with tortoise shell glasses who still lived at home with her parents.  There was an innocence and honesty about her, and her music was great.  She made me wish that she wanted to become a sisterwife.  That day, I became one of her MySpace friends.  

A year later, her single "The Way I Am" became a hit on the radio, and I would say with pride that I was a "friend" on her MySpace page before anyone had really heard of her.  I introduced the music to Temple, and she loved it.  She bought every album afterwards.  For a long time, her ringback tone was  "Everybody".

As I listened to the album on the way to the airport, I had to concur with Temple.  The album is the best album by Ingrid Michaelson to date.  The sound is clear.  The music is well written.  And Michaelson is a superb lyricist.  ("We hate the rain when it fills up our shoes/ But we love it when it washes our cars.")

The album starts our great with "Fire", which is a typical song for Ingrid Michaelson.  "I'm Through" is a very touching song about dealing with life after a breakup.  "Blood Brothers", "Ghost", and "Palm of Your Hand" are very catchy.  "In the Sea" is my personal favorite.  "End of the World" is a love song about the zombie apocalypse.  In truth, there is not a bad song on the album.

On our trip home from New York, we listened to the album for the four hour drive home, and I am still not sick of it.  I would recommend this album  to anyone.