It’s not all fun and games - though it does have a good dose of that as well! I’d like to summarize “It Doesn’t have to Make Sense” with those words, before I move on to try and decipher this latest masterpiece Ingrid Michaelson has on offer. Is it a long shot calling it a masterpiece? Perhaps. However it does qualify to be the gem in the modern pop scenario as it beautifully brings out emotions like pain, struggle, hope and triumph - all with the greatest degree of honesty that Ingrid seeps so flawlessly into her music.
If you have been thinking she’s the songwriter for every girl - an epic revelation is on the way for you. Ingrid’s music empathizes with the one who has lost, the one who is trying to find back their confidence, the one who needs some inspiration to go on, and the one who needs some reassurance what a winner they are - it is all there in her music. She sure has come a long way from “The Way I am”’ Ingrid, who sang evergreen songs for the lovestruck, but not at the cost of losing the glimpses of the romantic she is.
The album kicks off with the powerful pop track Light Up which is beautifully infused with the piano and subtle vocals. And then we are treated to an ode to womanhood and girl power anthems like “Miss America” and “Hell No”. There are also tracks like “Celebrate” that can easily be your summer jam, like something you can put on loop, strap on the headphone on your commute to work and you are guaranteed to have a great day!
However, the album is peppered with ballads like “I Remember Her” and “Drink you Gone” that talk about loss and grief, drawing instances from episodes in her life, of her recent divorce from indie-folk musician Greg Laswell and her mother’s passing, and leaves you with a buzzing melancholy. It is impressive not only how Ingrid transforms into a able and strong ballad vocalist in these tracks but also has the ability to write heart-wrenching and vivid lyrics that resonate with the broken hearted, that is such a departure from her usual happy-go-lucky fare.
In all it’s glory the album is gorgeously complete and has something for everyone even though it might seem a bit chaotic at times that is because It doesn’t have to make sense - but, it strangely does!
Album Rating - 8/10
