Day 16: The Sounds of Writing 5

January 11, 2010

4. Ingrid Michaelson: Everybody 2009

I just love Ingrid Michaelson. She is my music equivalent of Amy Adams. I don't know what it is about her that makes me love her so much. This is the third album I bought of hers in a little under 18 months and I am going to have to say that it is probably my favorite. I bought her last studio release entitled 'Boys and Girls' in the summer of 2008 and then her b-sides collection 'Be O.K' in the fall of 2008. Both of those albums were fantastic, especially the melancholy beauty of "Be O.K.". I think I had that album playing in my car for over a week when I bought it, which for me is an eternity. It just had so much substance and soul to it that I just could not put it away.

The same can be said for her newest release as well. She has a way with words that feels so profound, yet they go down so easily, without the slightest amount of preaching or whining. A lot of her songs are naturally about relationship issues, but she is never going for a quick cut or even a little revenge. Instead, she sings about the realities of how relationships work, even singing about how she is willing to wait for her true love. These songs would have actually fit in perfectly on an old Sinatra or Billie Holliday album from the 50's. She has a romanticism to her that makes her delivery so sweet and calm, that when she says something like, "They say you're not really somebody/Until somebody loves you/Well I am waiting to make somebody somebody", your heart sinks with just the thought of her feeling that way.

I suppose that is the best way to describe her, she not only writes about all matters of the heart, but she also sings from it as well. I had bought this album right before I went on my first business trip this past fall. I was by myself the majority of the time and anytime I was feeling frustrated, annoyed or alone, I would just put on this album and she would make everything feel alright. As cheesy as that sounds, it is completely true.

It is hard for me to pick out a couple of tracks on the album that are clear standouts, as I basically love them all. If I had to choose though I would say to check out, "Everybody", "Are we there yet?", "Men of Snow" and "Maybe". I am assuming more than one of these tracks will be showing up(if they have not already), in any number of episodes of "One Tree Hill", "Grey's Anatomy" or any other show that tries to give the old heartstrings a tug. My choice for best end of show montage song would be "Maybe". It would be the perfect end of season song for any show in which two characters are not going to be seeing each other for a extended period of time.

With that being said though, this album is really just a fantastic example of a really good singer/songwriter coming into her own. Ingrid Michaelson may have only just come into my musical life, but I am now finding it increasingly difficult to think of what I would do without her.

Catch you back her tomorrow.