Lights Out (Ingrid Michaelson album)

Last updated
Lights Out
IngridMichaelsonLightsOut.jpg
Studio album by
Ingrid Michaelson
ReleasedApril 15, 2014 (2014-04-15)
Length54:26
Label
Producer
Ingrid Michaelson chronology
Human Again
(2012)		Lights Out
(2014)		 It Doesn't Have to Make Sense
(2016)
Singles from Lights Out
  1. "Girls Chase Boys"
    Released: February 4, 2014
  2. "Afterlife"
    Released: October 2, 2014
  3. "Time Machine"
    Released: February 19, 2015

Lights Out is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson. It was released on April 15, 2014 through Cabin 24 Records under exclusive license to Mom + Pop Music. Her first studio album in four years, Lights Out marked a breakaway from previous releases on which Michaelson had been credited as the sole writer. A more collaborative effort, she worked with a variety of songwriters and producers on the album, including Cason Cooley, Katie Herzig, Jacquire King, and Dan Romer.

Contents

The album earned generally positive reviews from music critics, some of who declared it her best album yet, though others felt it had too many ballads. Lights Out debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 37,000 copies in its first week. [1] The lead single from the album, "Girls Chase Boys", was released on February 4, 2014. [2] The second single from the album, "Afterlife", was released on October 2, 2014. [3] The third single, "Time Machine", was released on February 19, 2015. [4] A deluxe edition of Lights Out was released on November 11, 2014. [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 74/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The Oakland Press Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Sputnikmusic4/5 [11]

Lights Out received positive reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 74, based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally positive reviews" feedback. [6] Steven Morse from The Boston Globe found that with Lights Out Michaelson "has made her best album. She lost her voice for several months last year, so she has a new appreciation of her gift. Her voice is deeper and more soulful. And she still employs girlish “ooh-ooh” harmonies, but the result is more adult, at times like an ethereal Kate Bush [...] You might expect a schizoid clusterbomb from Lights Out, but instead it’s an impressively seamless mix." [12] AllMusic editor Matt Collar rated the album four stars out of five. He stated how the release shows "Michaelson has captured that sound of love." [7]

Oakland Press critic Gary Graff rated the album three stars out of four. He found that the release was "filled with emotional heavy lifting" and features "Michaelson's use of choral arrangements throughout is just one of the elements that remind us of what a clever artist she is while also pushing her in fresh directions." [9] Tshepo Mokoena from The Guardian felt that Michaelson's decision to consult co-writers was making "for a mixed bag. When it works, Michaelson sounds enchanting, cooing in chromatic, St. Vincent-like scales on "Handsome Hands". When it doesn’t, she slumps into MOR balladry [...] Unfortunately, she loses her way slightly here, letting overused chord progressions and sweet but uninspired melodies overpower her indie quirk." [8] Similarly, The Independent 's Andy Gill wrote: "Michaelson’s most interesting musical strategies occur away from the mainstream, in things like the blending of Omnichord and French horn in "Handsome Hands"; but Lights Out eventually runs out of steam, lapsing into dull piano ballads." [13]

Commercial performance

The album entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 5, with first-week sales of 37,000 copies. [1] It also debuted at number 2 on Top Rock Albums and marked Michaelson's second consecutive album after Human Again (2012) to debut at number one on Billboard's Independent Albums chart. [14] By August, Lights Out had sold 160,000 copies in the United States. [15]

Track listing

Lights Out track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Home" Ingrid Michaelson Chris Kuffner4:24
2."Girls Chase Boys"
  • Cason Cooley
  • Katie Herzig
3:41
3."Wonderful Unknown" (featuring Greg Laswell)
  • Michaelson
  • Dabbs
  • Dean
  • Cooley
  • Herzig
5:01
4."You Got Me" (featuring Storyman)
Kuffner3:13
5."Warpath"MichaelsonKuffner2:27
6."Handsome Hands"MichaelsonKuffner3:26
7."Time Machine"
 Jacquire King 3:32
8."One Night Town" (featuring Mat Kearney)
  • Michaelson
  • Kearney
Cooley3:14
9."Open Hands" (featuring Trent Dabbs)
  • Michaelson
  • Dabbs
Jeremy Bose4:06
10."Ready to Lose" (featuring Trent Dabbs)
  • Michaelson
  • Dabbs
Bose3:33
11."Stick"
  • Michaelson
  • Dabbs
Bose3:35
12."Afterlife"
King4:04
13."Over You" (featuring A Great Big World)
 Dan Romer 4:43
14."Everyone Is Gonna Love Me Now"
  • Michaelson
  • Dabbs
Bose5:17
Total length:54:26
Lights Out – Deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."My Darling"
  • Michaelson
  • Herzig
  • Cooley
  • Herzig
4:22
16."Over You" (demo)
  • Michaelson
  • Axel
  • Vaccarino
Romer4:03
17."When I Go"MichaelsonKuffner3:12
18."(I'll Be Glad When You're Dead)" Sam Theard Kuffner2:21
19."Skinny Love" (live) Justin Vernon Kuffner4:23
20."Everyone Is Gonna Love Me Now" (demo)
  • Michaelson
  • Dabbs
Bose5:06
Total length:78:22

Personnel

Charts

Release history

Lights Out release history
RegionDateEdition(s)Format(s)Label(s)Ref.
VariousApril 15, 2014Standard
  • Digital download
  • CD
  • streaming
 [22]
November 11, 2014Deluxe [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith (April 23, 2014). "'Frozen's 11th Week at No. 1 with Biggest Sales Yet". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Amazon.com - Girls Chase Boys - Ingrid Michaelson - Music". Amazon.
  3. ↑ Michaelson, Ingrid (October 2, 2014). "Ingrid Michaelson on Twitter". Twitter . Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Buzzfeed.com - Ingrid Michaelson - Time Machine premier". BuzzFeed. February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Collar, Matt (November 11, 2014). "Lights Out[Bonus Tracks] - Ingrid Michaelson". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Metacritic. "Critic Reviews for Lights Out". CBS Interactive . Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Collar, Matt (April 14, 2014). "Lights Out - Ingrid Michaelson : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Mokoena, Tshepo (August 13, 2015). "Ingrid Michaelson: Lights Out review – many cooks, not that many hits". The Guardian . Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Graff, Gary (April 11, 2014). "The Listening Room: Ingrid Michaelson, The Birds of Satan and more". The Oakland Press . Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  10. ↑ Risch, Eric (June 25, 2014). "Ingrid Michaelson - Lights Out". PopMatters . Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  11. ↑ Season, Sowing (April 14, 2014). "Ingrid Michaelson - Lights Out". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  12. ↑ Morse, Steve (April 14, 2014). "Ingrid Michaelson, 'Lights Out'". Boston Globe . Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  13. ↑ Gill, Andy (August 7, 2015). "Ingrid Michaelson, Lights Out - Album review". The Independent . Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Top Rock Albums". Billboard. May 3, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Ingrid Michaelson Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Ingrid Michaelson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Ingrid Michaelson Chart History (Digital Albums)".[ dead link ] Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Ingrid Michaelson Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Ingrid Michaelson Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Billboard 200: Year-end 2014". Billboard . 2 January 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Amazon.com - Lights Out - Music". Amazon. 2014.
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