I’m a big fan of Ingrid Michaelson as well as her album It Doesn’t Have To Make Sense. I was lucky enough to catch her in concert for the first time when she was on tour supporting the album and she didn’t disappoint. When I heard that she was going to team up with other artists to rerecord some of the songs from the album, I thought it sounded like a cool idea. So I downloaded the EP Alter Egos when it came out.
The first song, “Whole Lot Of Heart”, has Ingrid teaming up with Tegan & Sara. Tegan & Sara sound great and their voices blend magically with Ingrid’s. My partner is a big fan of Tegan & Sara and I like their recorded sound but live is a different story. I had one of my worst concert experiences at their show in New Haven, CT a few years back. The performance wasn’t good and the crowd was worse. It ended with my partner almost getting buried under a pair of lesbians that were making out and using him to keep them erect. When his personal space got over encroached he stepped away as the lesbians ended up in a drunk heap on the floor.
“I Remember Her” is a collaboration with Lucius. This is my first exposure to Lucius and I didn’t know what to expect but it definitely works. This touching ballad is brought to a whole new level on this version.
“Drink You Gone” is a duet with John Paul White. Who? I never heard of him but his voice does balance Ingrid’s and the song is just as amazing as the original.
I was really glad to hear “Miss America” got a reboot with Sara Bareilles since it was my favorite song on her It Doesn’t Have To Make Sense album and it’s my favorite song on this EP as well. I know Sara, like everybody knows Sara, from her song “(I’m Not Gonna Write You A) Love Song”. Her voice is so similar to Ingrid’s that at times it’s hard to tell who’s singing. That’s not a complaint. This song is “beautiful, beautiful”.
The EP ends with her singing with AJR on the song “Celebrate”. AJR was the opening act when I saw her on tour. I thought they were fun in concert and they’re just as fun on this song. This is the most up-beat song on the EP.
All of the songs on the EP stayed true to the original versions. The guest stars add a new twist to already great songs. Any fan of It Doesn’t Have To Make Sense will also be a fan of Alter Egos
