Human Again, produced by David Kahne (Regina Spektor, Paul McCartney), is a triumph in aural range, the music veers from orchestral to percussive, while her accompanying voice swells from contralto to soprano. These darker, impassioned songs plumb the breadth of human emotion and throw a wrench in Michaelson's reputation as the crafter of dainty love songs. One of the most gutting is the album's first single, "Ghost," a hushed reflection on lost romance that unfurls ruefully from its opening line.

"The album is called Human Again because it's taken me a very long time to be happy," explained Michaelson. "The music on this album might surprise some people. I was really singing out, physically; I was writing about a really dark time in my life."