Human Again - Ingrid Michaelson

Cuts Only

Yo. Let me just say two quick things before I launch into this:

a). The Roots album Undun. I said for two months I would review it, but it's been two months. Ergo, I'm going to pull a Robert Christgau d-bag move in the interest in saving time. I would say it's "noteworthy" based on my rating system. Check it out. Essentially, I feel like the lack of a strong vocal presence detracted from the album, which sounds like a rather ignorant thing to say given the band has no distinct lead singer, but that's how I feel about the band in general. Black Thought can't do it by himself the way the group composes. They have every other type of musician known to man, so why not at least outsource a singer? Still, rather good record.

b.) I'm thinking of making two posts a week. I was aiming for Thursday for reviews, but that wasn't enough time in this case. I would expect a review every Friday or Saturday and a commentary on something in the news in the middle of the week to be determined. Any feedback is appreciated, you lucky so-and-sos.

Back to the matter at hand. Ingrid Michaelson is an indie-pop lady from the Isle of Staten. You may know her stuff from TV shows that favor this genre for their soundtracks — Bones, Scrubs, One Tree Hill, and of course Grey's Anatomy (omgz, Grey's!). She is also cut from a rather familiar singer-songwriter mold. You know the one: the cute-girl-with-glasses-that-plays-weird-instruments-like-the-ukulele-and-also-enjoys-other-hobbies-like-impressionist-paintings-and-caring-for-black-cats mold. Michaelson outwardly looks like a cliche from every teen movie ever made. I'd say she's a sure thing in this year's Lisa Loeb scholarship to Unnamed Small Liberal Arts College.

However, Michaelson is a talented songwriter who has a penchant to write about heartbreak, which is pervasive throughout this album. Human Again being heralded as the songwriter's breakout record, and, with the No. 1 LP on iTunes and a gig at the last year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, it's a safe bet if you don't know her now, you soon will.

The problem is not ability with Michaelson's latest. The problem with Human Again is its hellacious overproduction. Sometimes, you can barely hear Michaelson's voice, wispy and nuanced, over violin accompaniments, vocal effects and reverb. That is not to say this doesn't work on every song. The arrangements for the listlessly haunting "Ghost" and the piquantly bold "Fire" strengthen their respective songs.

Unfortunately, you listen to tracks like "In the Sea," "Keep Warm" and "This Is War," the discerning ear struggles to hear Michaelson over jarring additions engineered in mixing and post-production. The worst of these offenders, "Black and Blue," harkens back to the days when Ace of Base polluted the airwaves — the thought of which makes me want to forge my doctor's signature for Zoloft.

The times when Michaelson truly transcends are when she takes a minimalist approach. Excluding excessive violins in the introduction and bridge, the ballad "I'm Through" fits this description. Although the lyrics about dating after a breakup flutter a tad mawkishly, Michaelson is more powerful singing behind her piano than with all the bells and whistles.

Despite the album's failures, the blame does not rest on Michaelson's shoulders. Unfortunately, the artificial becomes too closely mingled with the artist in this instance. Human Again flaunts too much for Michaelson's demure appeal to shine.

For Your Consideration: "Fire," "I'm Through," "Ghost"

For Next Time: OH YEAH! Born to Die - Lana Del Rey. This is gonna be awesome.