Ingrid Michaelson - Girls and Boys [2007]
Review by Jonathan Kim
Ingrid Michaelson’s album, “Girls and Boys”, is excellent. Plain and simple. Ms. Michaelson has a smooth, mellow quality to her voice that’s uniquely hers. I also appreciated the album for its simplicity. It’s easy to see why they wanted to use her music for shows and commercials.
“The Way I Am” is the song that will guide most people to give her a listen. I think this song might be the most popular, but also one of the simplest songs. It showcases her voice’s goodness with music that doesn’t try to overwhelm. “Corner of Your Heart” is strangely haunting. The piano creeps in like you’re walking in on the music from the hall. A great track. The track, “Overboard”, shows more dynamic range. I might also like it a little because it has very Keane-like piano playing.
“December Baby” is good though it has that tinny guitar that saps energy from Ingrid’s vocals. As a song it takes some interesting turns. It starts off simple enough with Ingrid singing along to a simple tune on acoustic guitar, but surprises about halfway through in a pleasant mix.. then slowly easing back into the way it began. “Breakable” was also a quality track. Lyrics were almost violent for how short and sweet the overall music is, but it still works. The one track I found personally annoying was “Highway”. It just doesn’t sound good on the album.
Overall, the CD is excellent. There were a few songs that didn’t grab my attention, but the album as a whole gives off a lot of personality. It didn’t seem simple to the point of being stripped down and too “indie”. “Girls and Boys” shows her versatility as an artist and, while it isn’t earth-shatteringly different, it’s highly recommended. With the ease of test driving music, it’s the least you can do.
My favorite tracks were: Corner of Your Heart, Die Alone, The Way I Am, December Baby, Overboard, Breakable.
Full Album Tracks Listing
[MP3 Direct Download]
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1. Die Alone
2. Masochist
3. Breakable
4. The Hat
5. The Way I Am
6. Overboard
7. Glass
8. Starting Now
9. Corner Of Your Heart
10. December Baby
11. Highway
12. Far Away
