Human Again – Ingrid Michaelson
Album Review by Logan Anne
Be prepared to hear something really different from Ingrid on her fourth studio album, Human Again. As an original Ingrid fan, I’ve been hoping she’d charm me once again with some clever lyrics and satisfying comfort music. But… no, this is a new sound and although the album made it’s debut at the top of the iTunes album charts, Ingrid’s expecting a backlash from even her most loyal fans.
I must admit, after listening to the album for the first time, my hopes were derailed. Under the direction of David Kahn, the chief producer behind Imogen Heap’s early career success, Ingrid’s voice plays hide and seek with an all too intrusive symphony of instruments throughout the album. A notable exception is “Palm of Your Hand” which is Ingrid, clear and true, delivering a captivating sound.
After a few listens, I’ve mellowed though it is still hard to get used to the new formulaic and artificial feeling created by Kahn’s glossy overproduction. It all makes me wonder if Kahn’s zealous work has betrayed Ingrid’s voice. Take “Fire” and “Black and Blue”, which have aspirations but fall short of measuring up to expectations. The outstanding moments on Human Again come when Ingrid returns to her endearing sound on the wistful ‘Ghost’ and beautiful “I’m Through.”
Human Again is Ingrid’s adventure, exploring new sounds, trying on angst like a little black dress without our permission. Well, so what! Everyone has a ‘darker’ side. Let’s just hope the critics at Rolling Stone haven’t completely driven this lovely lady to hers. After all, Ingrid can take all the credit for her success as a musician and businesswoman. As she demonstrates once again with this album debut, her promotional methods have enabled her music to thrive even without falling victim to the in-your-face mainstream.
Amongst the whispers of conflicting opinion surrounding us music lovers, we crave the joys that we know to be true of Ingrid: the enchanting turn of phrase, the melody that recreates memory, and the close friend we want to sing along with. With this new release, you may need to work a little harder to find what you crave.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Website: http://www.ingridmichaelson.com/
