The indie-pop singer-songwriter brings more of the same with a slight twist.
Born to a composer and sculptor in Staten Island, N.Y., Ingrid Michaelson began playing piano when she was 4. She participated in vocal groups and studied theater until she self-produced her first album in 2005, called “Slow the Rain.” The 33-year-old initially gained exposure by playing on soundtracks for television shows like Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill. She became one of the top of indie artists in 2007 with the single “The Way I Am,” made popular by that Old Navy clothing advertisement that never stopped playing. After the hit single from her 2006 album Girls and Boys, Michaelson churned out 2008’s Be OK and 2009’s Everybody. In addition to her own work, she collaborated with artists like William Fitzsimmons, Sara Bareilles and Greg Laswell. Now, the indie-pop singer-songwriter returns to her music with the raw, breezy new album Human Again.
Michaelson isn't just the heartbroken ukulele and piano-playing sweetheart anymore. She has her usual poise, lightness and grace, but with a fresh edge. Human Again ranges from emotional ballads like “I’m Through” to audacious pop songs such as “Black and Blue.” Still, Michaelson often drifts toward cliché, through redundant song construction and metaphors of brokenness and triumph.
Although she doesn’t seem to have as many broken bones and wounded hearts this time, she has her fair share of dying pieces, open heart surgeries and broken-hearted collapses onto knees. It may make listeners wonder just how much damage a person can survive—and how many similar metaphors and chord progressions they can handle. In “This is War,” she marvels at her own triumph over these battles of the heart: It's a wonder at all that I'm alive / It's a wonder at all that I'm still standing / It's a wonder at all that I survived the war / Between your heart and mine / I won't surrender. Meanwhile, she sings about being burned by a relationship in “Fire”: Heart attack up your sleeve / You can make me believe / That I will grow from the ground / After you burn me down / Now I'm walking into fire with you.
Despite the overuse of metaphors and repetition, songs like “Palm of Your Hand,” “Blood Brothers” and the single “Ghost” still contain Michaelson’s unabashedly catchy my-life-is-a-mess-right-now-but-I’m-still-resilient-and-peppy style. She certainly seems to have maintained an optimistic outlook on life in Human Again, a mood consistent with her four previous albums.
Michaelson’s band consists of singer-songwriters Allie Moss, Bess Rogers and her husband on guitars, Chris Kuffner on bass, Saul Simon-MacWilliams on keyboards and Elliot Jacobson on drums. The group backs up the album with soaring harmonies and innovation. Human Again strays from the expected in songs like “In the Sea,” which brings out some of the creative diversity on the album. The in-your-face melody sings, No, no don’t rescue me/ I like the salt water sting/ it feels so good just to feel something in the sea, insinuating Michaelson may not be the type to fall overboard for the sake of being saved. On this, “End of the World” and “Black and Blue,” she has developed a new penetrating sound similar to fellow piano-pop artists Regina Spektor and Feist.
Michaelson’s empathetic tone is made clear in the radio friendly “Blood Brothers.” The simple lyrics and flowing melody seek to connect all of humanity, despite peoples’ differences. What you need / I need too / What you are I am too / 'Cause we're all the same under a different name / We're all blood brothers. One of the most lyrically and emotionally impacting songs is “How We Love.” Michaelson’s bare voice is accompanied by peaceful guitar and soft humming, crooning, We hate the rain when it fills up our shoes / But how we love when it washes our cars / We love to love when it fills up the room / But when it leaves, oh, we're cursing the stars. The lyrics unpretentiously sum up the love and hatred of humanity in one simple chorus.
Despite the often overly-used metaphors, Michaelson has a deep understanding of human nature and a knack for seeing straight into the heart. Ultimately, Human Again is a successful reminder that even with all messes it creates, humanity is a beautiful thing.
Krista Connor (@_KristaMC_) is a freelance writer, journalist, photographer, and musician from Bear, Delaware. She loves traveling, the ocean and eccentric people.
