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Listening to this album will help anyone get out of a self-loathing funk and spark some sort of empowerment.
“It Doesn’t Have to Make Sense” by Ingrid Michaelson provides a genuine artistic interpretation of the typical stages in a 20 to 30 year old’s life.
As each song plays, the build up to the ultimate pro-feminist dance party grows to an ultimate ode to the quiet girl in the corner. From the topics of love and loss to how to say no when someone has just had enough, Michaelson uses her raspy, yet reserved voice to express these messages in the best way possible.
Starting off the album is “Light Me Up,” a strong beginning to the album discussing the push needed to keep trying in life. This builds as the album continues, empowering listeners as it progresses.
“Whole Lot of Heart” and “Miss America” can sometimes mix together if the listener is not used to the hushed tones of Michaelson’s voice, but for devoted fans, each song brings something different to the empowerment sequence.
The key component of the album is without a doubt “Hell No.” Released as a single prior to the official launch of the album, the song is the ultimate fight anthem for those not wanting to take the shorter end of the stick in a relationship.
Screaming “hell no” at the top of your lungs can always help a situation, but it is clearly better done in song, especially to the upbeat tone of the entire compilation.
My personal favorite, with its witty beat and sly wordage, is “Drink You Gone.” With lyrics saying “I can’t drink you gone / I can’t smoke you out / I can’t eat away the way that you ate my heart out,” listeners, unless they have no soul, cannot help but shed a smile and appreciate the cleverness of the words along with the beat behind them.
Michaelson somehow has a fresh take rather than belaboring the everlasting trials of love.
Go put on some fuzzy socks, put your hair in a bun and go rock out to this mellow and cheery ode to women’s empowerment.
