Ingrid Michaelson’s star hasn’t fizzled and burned like those of so many other stewards of songs-turned-commercial-anthems. Yes, Old Navy morphed her 2007 single “The Way I Am” into a bastardized ghost of a hit, and her songs have probably been featured in more “Grey’s Anatomy” montages than any weepy, devoted fan could muster the energy to count.
But promotional prowess and corporate branding aside, the singer/songwriter’s fifth studio album, “Human Again,” packs a distinctive punch thanks to confident vocals, sharp lyrics and instrumental experimentation.
The record is bookended by two powerhouse tracks, opening on the orchestral, urgent “Fire” and ending with the inspired “End Of The World,” which admittedly sounds like the perfect accompaniment for a cliff-hanging “Grey’s” moment. Michaelson makes it clear with these songs and the electronic tinges and vindictive words of “Black and Blue” that she’s not some fragile little girl just waiting to attend to the needs of her lover — anymore.
This time around, she’s yearning for a lost love, but she’s also yearning to get over that love, and her lyrics play like a manual for a broken heart.
“It’s a wonder at all that I survived the war between your heart and mine,” she croons on “This Is War.” This new Michaelson is a little ballsier and a lot more compelling. She encompasses inspiration and motivation on “Do It Now,” and the way she does so, the listener would be wise to take her advice.
Flashes of the old Michaelson come through, like on the pop-influenced “Ribbons” and the gloomy “Ghost,” the first single, but even these tracks carry a higher level of self-awareness than Michaelson has ever displayed.
She will probably always have a knack for successful marketing ploys, but at least with “Human Again,” Michaelson has the music to back it up. And her bark may be worse than her bite, but that’s better than having no bark at all.
Rating: W W W W
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