COLUMN: Michaelson’s ‘Human’ is mediocre
There is a fine line between good and great, barbecue sauce and ketchup, sad and funny. There is a great expanse that separates the goods from the greats, the Drakes from the Jay-Z’s, the Vanilla Ices from the Eminems, and the Ingrid Michaelsons of this world from the Regina Spektors. “Human Again,” by Michaelson, released this week on Cabin 24 records, is one of those albums that is fun to listen to but is only good. Not great.
The New York City-based singer-songwriter’s latest excursion into the do-it-yourself female-pop world is like a senior trip that promises to be a fun time with great friends, but leaves you stranded at some weird truck stop alone. The album clambers into the back of an old Jeep Cherokee with the opening track “Fire,” and a journey begins full of melodies and amazing arrangements. Her voice melts over the violins and the form-fitting beats. Showing her talent on her sleeve, she crafts a Pat Benatar-esque power ballad with great lyrics that calls to the female spirit similar to Adele’s “21.” Destined for pop radio, “Fire” concludes and travels into “This is War.”
The next track has a dark guitar foundation that feels like a girl fight over Doritos or who gets to flirt with the hot guy, Steve. It’s passive-aggressive, yet biting. The lyrics feel flat on the track, but the beauty of Michaelson’s voice makes up for the lack of depth. The track ends leaving you feeling unsatisfied but melts into the next part of the album. With “Do it Now,” Michaelson must have realized that her strength is in piano and orchestral arrangements. The album shifts from power ballad to a delicate feminine lament that tugs at heart strings in lyrics and in music.
Like a stretch of road where everyone is feeling hurt after a falling out, the songs churn the emotions and eventually the album comes in with “Blood Brothers,” a song that feels like everyone is forgiven and the group is restored. With a similar feel to “We’re All in This Together,” from “High School Musical,” the song feels more fitted at the end of a movie than smack in the middle of the album. Though one of my favorites, the song is just there not contributing but not detracting from the album’s feel. Just when the album is borderline good, “Black and Blue” awkwardly stumbles onto the stage. This track feels like a bar in the middle of nowhere that the girls sneak into and get plastered — wrongly placed but feeling great. The beat and piano is almost ripped from the pages of the Sara Bareilles and Regina Spektor play book, albeit poorly. The misstep is almost enough to derail the trip, but somehow Michaelson is able to keep it together mystically with her fantastic voice and her knack for combining melodies.
At this point, the album begins to lose steam. The constant shift between different styles, the lackluster lyrics, the constant need to impress the female spirit, “Human Again” is the girl you don’t want to hang out with anymore because she is trying too hard to be popular. The album looks warm at first but ends up being cold and heartless.
By the end, the album starts feeling like a heartfelt effort, as “In The Sea” crafts a hauntingly beautiful rock ballad. Reflective at this point, “Keep Warm” is an artfully crafted croon that sets the stage for the final track, “End of The World.” At this point your friends realize, after 100 miles down the road, that they left one of the group at the gas station and rush back to get her. Imagine, at sunset, feeling defeated and alone, seeing that Jeep Cherokee pulling into the station to retrieve what was once lost but now found. That feeling is what kindles the final song and ends the album perfectly.
Bottom line: “Human Again” feels like a collection of singles no more connected to each other than second cousins at a wedding of a mutual friend. Even though most of the songs are fun to listen to, together they don’t fit and end up pulling each other down. This album suffers from lack of organization, drastically shifting from style to style, trying desperately to please everyone. The first and the last of the album are the best parts, but, overall, the album slumps into a solid C plus.
– alexander.h.van_oene@aggiemail.usu.edu