Early on in "Breakable," from her excellent Girls and Boys, Ingrid Michaelson muses on the fragility of the heart, in both the literal and symbolic senses--"have you ever thought about what protects our hearts--just a cage of rib bones and other various parts… we are just breakable girls and boys." Ingrid Michaelson's songs have been featured on Grey's Anatomy episodes and Old Navy commercials, and there's a good reason she keeps getting selected for such high-profile exposure--the songs on Girls and Boys are an immediately appealing blend of pop song craft and vulnerable emotion. Michaelson has a more accessible voice and presentation than contemporaries like Feist and Regina Spektor, and her piano-driven arrangements hit all the right peaks and valleys, calling on a delicate acoustic guitar here, an overdriven electric there, to highlight her alternately joyful and mournful melodies. In short, she's made a fine pop album worth checking out, even if you're not a fan of Dr. Meredith and McDreamy. --Ben Heege

Girls And Boys is the strong debut CD from Ingrid Michaelson. While you can throw a rock and hit one of hundreds of female singer/songwriters, Michaelson brings something different to the game - her song writing. While her topics are not necessarily unique, you won't mistake her lyrics for any of the garden variety out there. She also manages decent musical variety to go with her pleasant (but not spectacular) voice.

Instrumentally, Michaelson blends folk with driving pop/rock hooks. While playing the opening track for my wife, she wanted to know if this was a new Garbage song. However, "The Hat" takes more of a folk approach as it ends with its acoustic guitar, tambourine, and hand clapping. Of course there is the other folk standout that most people heard on Old Navy commercials, "The Way I Am" - which also features plenty of hand clapping. The closing hidden track "Far Away" is a nice rhythmic folk tune. You will be hard pressed to keep from swaying along as guitar and vocal delivery flow through from start to finish.

Lyrically, Michaelson describes ordinary things in different ways. Rather than merely buttering her bread, she "Spackled some butter over my whole grain bread" in the opener "Die Alone". "The Hat" deals with first loves that come and go, but it opens with this verse, "I knitted you a hat all blue and gold/ To keep your ears warm from the Binghamton cold./ It was my first one and it was too small./It didn't fit you at all, but you wore it just the same." Have you ever heard anything like this? I have not. Or how about being a big kid? "Overboard" opens with this line "I could write my name by the age of three/and I don't need anyone to cut my meat for me." I could continue, but I hope that I have shown that Michaelson takes a different approach to songwriting. It is neither abstract nor trite.

That is not to say that Girls And Boys isn't without issue. "December Baby" is a definite low point. Michaelson gives a very annoying vocal delivery to the following line "How can I catch up when I don't don't want to?/How can I catch up when I still want you?" which is repeated over and over and over and over... I have only made it through this song from start to finish once or twice. It is a definite skip on the CD, and I don't sync it to my MP3 player.

Overall, though, there is a lot to like on Girls And Boys. If you like folk music with some pop/rock layered on top to go along with an interesting set of vocal compositions, you should give this a try.

Plain and simple: Ingrid is amazing and I love her CD. I am very excited to watch her career bloom and look forward to hearing more soon.

Fun, lighthearted music. Sure to put you in a good mood. Refreshing like a glass of pure cold water; the "girl" Ingrid has the "voice" to carry such simple lyrics to a "unique" level. Highly recommend for any age of "Girls and Boys". I got this thru "pepsi points" this CD is about as "American and wholsome as Pepsi. Thanks to Pepsi and Amazon for this is one I might have missed.

I was raised on singer-songwriters of the 60's and 70s'. When the 80's rolled around I left popular music for good. Hearing the stuff my kids were listening to lately didn't change my mind. Then I heard Ingrid Michaelson's work on a commercial, dug around and found that the great singer-songwriters haven't gone away after all. I bought the CD and enjoy it more each time I listen to it.

An interesting style with many catchy rhythms and melodies. She can get a bit repetitive at times, but overall, still very nice and refreshing.