Album Review – It Doesn’t Have to Make Sense – Ingrid Michaelson
It Doesn’t Have to Make Sense is the seventh studio album by Ingrid Michaelson.
After my first full listen to It Doesn’t Have to Make Sense, I felt like this was a breakup album. I don’t know if it really is or not, although she did get a divorce while she was touring the album prior to this. Still, it has a lot of songs that feel like songs that belong on a breakup album – Light Me Up – seemingly about moving on; Drink You Gone – about not getting over it; Hell No – not taking you back; Old Days – about the falling apart and not coming back together. And, overall, this album is a little slower, a little less upbeat, which also contributes to that feel. Still, Michaelson remains a better than average songwriter and she has written some wonderful songs for this album.
Not that there’s nothing but breakup songs here. Miss America is a anthem for women good with being themselves. Celebrate is upbeat nostalgia for youth. I Remember Her feels like an elegaic homage.
There should be plenty here to please all of her fans, but there’s enough catchy songwriting that Michaelson should also continue to appeal to new listeners.
Recommendation: Buy It
Songs I have a Playlist for: Light Me Up, Miss America, Hell No, Old Days
Clunkers I will Thumbs Down: Another Life
Song Spotlight: Once and Future Queen – John Paul White
Off his new album, Beulah.
Song Spotlight: One Sweet Love – Sara Barielles
Song Spotlight: Good Enough – Sarah McLachlin
Song Spotlight: Your Hand in Mine – Explosions in the Sky
Song Spotlight: Teardrop – Massive Attack
Yeah, I’ve been busy. Here is an absolutely fantastic band performing one of my favorites from their list.
Song Spotlight: 5′ 3″ – Flannel Graph
This is a quiet little, hardly known folk group from Montana. Her voice is great and the reason I listen to them.
Song Spotlight – Loving You from Passion – Donna Murphy
I’m kind of delving into an interest in Sondheim. Sure, it’s long past time, but really, I have often previously found Sondheim hard to get into. But Passion seems to be perfect for my tastes in theatre and musical theatre especially. And this is the clearest example why.
Song Spotlight – Bad Idea from Waitress – Sara Bareilles f/ Jason Mraz
So, Hamilton is going to own the Tony’s. Thing is, Hamilton really doesn’t appeal to me. I’m not especially into hip-hop. It’s just not for me.
However, there was a musical that I was excited about this year – Waitress. Sure the reason I was excited about it was because Sara Bareilles wrote the score. But, I was still excited. So, here’s a song from a score that, even though it was nominated, is going to be completely ignored due to coming up in a year when there is a juggernaut.
