Ingrid Michaelson's Songs For The Season by Ingrid Michaelson - Uhune

ALBUM

Rather than take the more common contemporary approach to her first album of holiday-themed music on 2018's Songs for the Season, singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson instead successfully wraps herself in an old-school production that sounds like it was recorded in the 1950s -- when many of these standards were first on the radio. The choice is somewhat surprising given that her own sophisticated, earnest songs have little to do with exploring vintage aesthetics. In fact, Michaelson's modern approach helped define the sound of current adult contemporary pop in the 2000s, with many of her tracks showing up on TV shows like Grey's Anatomy. That said, there is precedent for this kind of sentimental shift among pop singers handling traditional material, including Carly Simon's Film Noir, Linda Ronstadt's What's New, and even Nellie McKay's Normal as Blueberry Pie. All of those albums found singers with their own distinctive sounds purposefully adopting a retro aesthetic to explicitly evoke a specific time, place, and feeling. With Michaelson's Songs for the Season, that time and place feel like the warmth of a happy childhood home during the holidays. Helping her achieve this cozy atmosphere are producers Saul Simon MacWilliams and Dan Romer, who drape her in big-band horns, cinematic strings, and cheery backing vocalists. Without losing her own emotive vocal charm, Michaelson has an easy way with swinging melodies like "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" Similarly, she handles midtempo ballads deftly, crooning with tenderness alongside Christina Perri on "White Christmas." She pairs equally well with singer Will Chase on "I'll Be Home for Christmas," and dives into the tinsel-toned R&B of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" with Grace VanderWaal. Particularly compelling, however, is Michaelson's sole original contribution, the poignant "Happy, Happy Christmas," in which she employs the same traditional orchestral production on a more contemporary-sounding song that's nowhere near as happy as the title implies. It brings to mind a pleasing mix of Annie Lennox and Kate Bush, capturing the complexity of the holiday season and how these songs resonate through time. ~ Matt Collar

1. Looks Like A Cold, Cold Winter

by Ingrid Michaelson

Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Jack Fulton
Caesar Petrillo
Al Goerning; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

2. White Christmas (feat. Christina Perri)

by Ingrid Michaelson

Featured Artist: Christina Perri; Main Performer
Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Irving Berlin; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

3. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

by Ingrid Michaelson

Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Jule Styne
Sammy Cahn; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

by Ingrid Michaelson

Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Hugh Martin
Ralph Blane; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

5. I'll Be Home for Christmas (feat. Will Chase)

by Ingrid Michaelson

Featured Artist: Will Chase; Main Performer
Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Buck Ram
Kim Gannon
Walter Kent; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

6. Happy, Happy Christmas

by Ingrid Michaelson

Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Ingrid Michaelson; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

7. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve

by Ingrid Michaelson

Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Frank Loesser; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

8. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (feat. Grace VanderWaal)

by Ingrid Michaelson

Featured Artist: Grace Vanderwaal; Main Performer
Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Johnny Marks; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

9. Mele Kalikimaka (feat. Allie Moss & Bess Rogers)

by Ingrid Michaelson

Featured Artist: Allie Moss
Bess Rogers; Main Performer
Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Robert Alex Anderson; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

10. Christmas Time Is Here

by Ingrid Michaelson

Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Lee Mendelson
Vince Guaraldi; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

11. All I Want for Christmas Is You (feat. Leslie Odom Jr.)

by Ingrid Michaelson

Featured Artist: Leslie Odom Jr.; Main Performer
Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Walter Afanasieff
Mariah Carey; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

12. Auld Lang Syne

by Ingrid Michaelson

Primary Artist: Ingrid Michaelson; Main Performer
Composer: Robert Burns; Composer
Producer: Dan Romer
Saul Simon Macwilliams; Production

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

12 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

39 minutes and 10 seconds

Explicit

None

Coverart

Available and up to 3000x3000 px

Booklet

Not available

Max Quality

CD Quality (Lossless)

16bit / 44.1 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

All tracks have lyrics

Synchronized Lyrics

All tracks have synced lyrics

Genres

Holiday, Rock, Vocal, Standards, Adult Alternative, Singer & Songwriter, Contemporary Singer, Songwriter, Christmas, Unknown

Label

Cabin 24 Records

Music Distribution Service

CD Baby

Country

United States

Language

English (United States)

Popularity

Release Date

Oct 25, 2018

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

192914607670