Customer Reviews

Everybody

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A huge fan of her past work, I've been anticipating the release of this album for months. My expectations were incredibly high, yet somehow, Michaelson has managed to exceed them. With this album she has finally solidified her sound, and with access to higher production values, she has made good use of the studio. This album is not over-produced, as we often see happen to many artists like her, but is excellently orchestrated on every track to achieve an effect that is simultaneously intimate and grand. These sounds would fill the largest concert hall, yet also be very in place at your local coffee shop. This is what sets this album apart from her previous work "Girls & Boys." Here, we such a much broader variety of sounds and musical colors; however, they are all distinctly Michaelson, tied together by her unique, sultry vocal quality.

All songs seem relatively simple lyrically, but upon closer examination you'll find that the lyrics actually work on many levels, using beautiful metaphors and often idiomatic phrases to achieve a deep sort of representational meaning. For example, in the stunning ballad Are We There Yet, Michaelson sings of silver linings in clouds and images of a peaceful home to create a sense of longing for a non-present simple love. Though lyrics often repeat, they do so out of necessity, reaching as deep as they can with their poignant messages of hope, love, and loss.

While there isn't a bland track on the album, standouts include Soldier, Everybody, Are We There Yet, Sort Of, The Chain, Mountain and the Sea, Locked Up, and Maybe. An absolute must have for your collection, "Everybody" may just become one of your favorites. In just a day, it has quickly become one of mine.

I've always been a fan of Ingrid Michaelson and think that she's very talented. However, with her other albums, I really got the impression that she was still searching for her niche. The music was good, and the lyrics were nice but sometimes trite. I can't listen to her older albums over and over (which is how I gadge the greatness of a singer/group/whatever). This album, on the other hand, is a lot different. I looked up all the lyrics of every song and found them, above all, clever, but also heart-wrenching in some places, funny in others, real-life, and incredibly appropriate. The music is equally catchy and lovely.

This album is a tribute to Ingrid's incredible growth as both a musician and a woman. I can only believe that in the future, she will continue in the same manner.

Great CD that I would recommend to anyone.

So far 2009 has seen a number of "sophomore" releases from artists, and Everybody from Ingrid Michaelson is one of them (I'm not counting the EP Be OK but limiting to major releases). Fans looking for Girls and Boys Part II will not find what they are looking for in Everybody. However deviating from Girls and Boys is not necessarily a bad thing. I found Everybody to be a much more focused work. It is also much more mainstream; however, some will not look on this favorably. You could almost make

Instrumentally, Everybody has more depth and variety. I loved the violin and cello on "Soldier" and "Incredible Love". Michaelson also introduces Ukulele on songs such as "Everybody" and "Mountain And The Sea". It has a feel similar to Israel Kamakawiwo`Ole's rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" from 50 First Dates. I also really enjoyed the subtly stated use of trumpet on "So Long". Perhaps as a way of at least loosely connecting with her past work, "Everybody" and "Mountain And The Sea" also feature the folksy hand clapping that Michaelson used on Girls and Boys.

Vocally, Everybody features more of Michaelson's lower register. This comes right out of the gate on "Soldier", and it continues on other tracks such as "Sort Of", "Maybe", and "Incredible Love". That is not to say that Michaelson has switched exclusively to a dusky alto. Songs such as "Are We There Yet", "Men Of Snow", and "The Chain" have plenty of her upper register and falsetto. "The Chain" is the studio version of a song that we first heard on Be OK. It has the same vocal round at the end as the live version did, and it just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of Everybody. As a final note, Everybody has good vocal harmony. I really liked the way this came through on the chorus of "Mountain And The Sea" and "Maybe".

Lyrically, Michaelson plays things much more straight up than she did on Girls and Boys. Love and relationships dominate Everybody as seen on "Soldier" - "And so it goes. The soldier knows./The battle with the heart isn't easily won." and "Maybe" - "Maybe in the future/you're gonna come back/you're gonna come back around". It is obvious from the title alone on "Incredible Love" and "Once Was Love". The one song that would fit with the more unique style of Girls and Boys is "Men Of Snow" where Michaelson tells of building a snowman that she tells her troubles to only to find him melted the next day. Even this still seems friendlier to a wider audience than most of Girls and Boys.

All in all, Everybody is a major step forward for Ingrid Michaelson. While I enjoyed Girls and Boys, it almost seems esoteric compared to Everybody. Michaelson has created a sound that while featuring greater breadth in vocal range and instrumentation is at the same time more focused. Fans of KT Tunstall, Sonya Kitchell, and A Fine Frenzy should give this a try.

Download this: Maybe

Let me start off by saying that I truly respect and admire Ingrid Michaelson and her amazing talent. I only write this review in the hope that it might make some difference for the next album, not to dissuade anyone from buying it.

I first heard Ingrid back when she played at the Bitter End, before she was on Grey's Anatomy, and I bought "Girls and Boys" on the spot. While I've given that album a rest for chunks of time, I always come back to it and find new depth in it. Although I've listened to it hundreds of times already, I've had it on my 1 GB Shuffle lately (minus a couple of songs), and it would be on Repeat if there were such a feature.

"Mountain and the Sea" was the first song I heard from "Everybody". I heard it online last week and couldn't stop playing it the one day it was available. The new album was coming out in only three days, and I was expecting the rest of the cd to grab me like "Mountain," so I could hardly wait to get my hands on it. But I'm sad to say I am a bit disappointed. I was hoping for something with the same depth and lasting power as "Girls and Boys," but after one day and just a few listens, I'm already close to taking half the cd off my Shuffle. "Soldier," "Everybody," "Mountain and the Sea," "Once Was Love," "Locked Up," and "Maybe" are all very catchy and my favorites at the moment. But most of them are very repetitive, containing only a few lines here and there that are on par to the lyrics from "Girls and Boys." Some of the less catchy tunes-- like "So Long"-- have good lyrics, but the sound is somewhat bland. "Boys and Girls" combined great tunes with great lyrics. "Everybody" splits the two (sometimes within a single song!) and the whole album suffers for it. One of my main gripes with the cd is the overuse of the word "love." Not only is the word in two song titles, but it's littered through almost every song in overabundance. "Girls and Boys" was about love too, but she didn't need to use the word so many times - she found more creative ways to express her feelings than "My love's too big for you my love." Now don't get me wrong - there are some really great lyrics on this cd. But they're easily drowned out by the incessantly nagging "love." While the title song is one of my favorites now, I don't know how long the catchy tune will keep me listening to "Everybody knows the love/ Everybody holds the love/ Everybody folds for love/ Everybody feels the love/ Everybody steals the love/ Everybody heals with love." Take this stanza, which starts out promising and ends all gushy: "Happy is the heart that still feels pain/ Darkness drains and light will come again/ Swing open your chest and let it in/ Just let the love, love, love begin." I almost want to believe that this overuse was a commentary by Ingrid on the meaninglessness of the word "love," but I fear the execution is too sincere to be taken as a parody of love songs.

Perhaps this cd was an attempt at mainstream radio music, focusing more on the catchiness of the tune than the depth of the lyrics. In that regard, it might work. But I hope she got it out of her system and the next album will be something I'd be inclined to share with friends, like I would the songs "Breakable" and "Overboard."

I'm being tough on this cd only because I had such high expectations and was hoping for a full album of songs that I'd be relishing years from now. While the cd as a whole is disappointing, there are some very nice gems on there. "Mountain and the Sea," "Soldier," and "Locked Up" are particular favorites of mine, strong in both music and lyrics (and making less use of the word "love!"), that might stand the test of time. And while the album may not live up to its predecessor, there's enough there for me to go see her live in September, and I have hope that her next album will be even better. At least I have a few great new songs to listen to for now. It was worth the money, and I would still recommend it to someone in need for some new music. This is a fine cd that I might have been happier with had the bar not been set so high with its older sibling. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.

This girl is amazing! Every time I listen to this I pick up something new that I didn't really catch the first time. Not many albums pull that off these days so I was pleasantly surprised to have that happen. The songwriting is fantastic and the production makes it even better. She really put a great album together, one that you can listen to all the way through and be happy you did.

Ingrid is super talented. I really enjoyed this CD. All the songs are easy to understand and have good messages. Really love this CD!

I love this album and listened to it everyday for two weeks. I love the eukalali, the lyrics, and the up-tempo pace of the songs. 'Soldier', 'Everybody', and 'Once Was Love' are the real hits for me. Ingrid Michaelson is a wonderful blend of Pop, Folk, and Alternative. Money well spent. A real joy.

This album is a little more upbeat than Ingrid's last album, but it is still AWESOME!! She is one of the most talented singers and songwriters out there!

I'm digging this cd. 'Soldier' is a great anthem, ready to rock you from the beginning, begging for attention. 'Are We There Yet' has a yearning to it in the vein of Glass on Ingrid's last album. Did I mention this album begs to be listened to again and again? Seriously, so many hot tracks to choose from. Now, to be honest I was a tad worried after that 'Be Ok' song, which I found tedious at best. But this is AWESOME, capital AWESOME. 'Chain' is great builder, with a huge climbing chorus of vocals at the finale. 'Mountatin and The Sea' is just feel good sing-along tune, but my FAVORITE has to be 'Once Was Love'....such a great album, though I had doubts after that silly, little 'Be Ok' song. I'll shut my mouth now. This is hardcore awesome, and Ingrid really nailed it here. Girls and Boys is still awesome too though. Awesome work, Ingrid!!! LOVING IT!

So I'll admit that I haven't really followed Ingrid Michaelson. But I decided to go ahead and sample a few tracks from her new album. I was so impressed that I bought the entire album! And I've only been more impressed from there on out. If I were to characterize this album I would say it has great lyrics, catchy arrangements with guitar, piano, strings, and finally that sweet, sweet soulful voice. My favorites so far are "Soldier", "Sort Of", "Locked Up" and "Maybe". If there's an anthem of all the songs it's definitely "Maybe". I wouldn't be surprised if this album got a lot of radio play and lots of awards.