Lights Out
by Ingrid Michaelson
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 30
  3. Negative: 4 out of 30
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  1. hihigiga
    Apr 20, 2014
    10
    This album is absolutely amazing. It's probably one of her best albums yet. Stand out songs to me include Time Machine, One Night Town, & Stick. You should totally buy this album.
  2. monster-pow
    May 28, 2014
    9
    Ingrid made an almost-perfect album. Ingrid's lovely songwriting shines, but the stylistic shifts in each album make Lights Out quite an interesting ride. The best song on here, to me anyway, is Wonderful Unknown that immediately brings The Beatles to my mind. It's a song with beautiful lyrics and production so chilling. Ingrid also flirts with some very modern dance-pop on One Night Town.Ingrid made an almost-perfect album. Ingrid's lovely songwriting shines, but the stylistic shifts in each album make Lights Out quite an interesting ride. The best song on here, to me anyway, is Wonderful Unknown that immediately brings The Beatles to my mind. It's a song with beautiful lyrics and production so chilling. Ingrid also flirts with some very modern dance-pop on One Night Town. The track is extremely catchy and the song could make it into a club. A very low-key type of club. Who would have ever thought Mat Kearney would make a dance-pop song? Girls Chase Boys is a very Sara Bareilles-type track that Ingrid pulls off beautifully. Home, a more folksy opener, contains beautiful and catchy vocals. You Got Me, a pretty wild track, shifts through possibly three genres in 3 minutes. Warpath and Time Machine are both bluesy rock tracks that are full-on "stompers." The most somber, but some of the most beautiful, moments occur on the second half of Lights Out. Open Hands, Ready To Lose, and Over You achieve a type of greatness in spite of their simplicity. The closer, Everyone Is Gonna Love Me Now, perfectly ends things with powerful lyricism and strong production, while Ingrid's vocals provide an even more sad atmosphere. My only complaint would have to be Handsome Hands, which feels out of place and sounds more like a Florence + The Machine b-side. Although, Ingrid's head voice is able to shine throughout the whole song. In all, Lights Out offers something for everybody. It's a wild card of an album and it's extremely surprising and pleasant to hear Ingrid pull it off with such wit. Good job, Ingrid.
    HIGHLIGHTS: Wonderful Unknown, Girls Chase Boys, One Night Town, Open Hands, Over You    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. PopMatters
    Jun 25, 2014
    50
    From a critical standpoint, Lights Out is long on songs and contributing credits but falls short of measurable artistic growth.
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  2. Boston Globe
    Apr 17, 2014
    80
    You might expect a schizoid clusterbomb from Lights Out, but instead it’s an impressively seamless mix.
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  3. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Apr 17, 2014
    80
    Lights Out is a more-than-satisfactory entry in the singer's solid discography, and easily one of the best pop albums of the year so far.
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