INGRID MICHAELSON - LIVE!

In the past two years, Ingrid Michaelson -- who dropped her fifth studio album, "Lights Out" (Cabin 24/Mom+Pop) on April 15 -- has vaulted from overachieving indie-pop sweetheart to a bona-fide pop star. Her last release, "Human Again," debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard album chart (plus No.1 on iTunes).

"Lights Out" refers to the two words uttered on Ingrid's tour bus when everyone's ready to call it a night. But given recent developments, it's become a metaphor for contemplating mortality and letting go -- themes more thoughtful than they are dark. The album builds into intensity, but is anchored by the swelling pop-affirmation "Time Machine" and the sweetly buoyant "Girls Chase Boys," which fits squarely into her existing catalog. "We thought of that song as the bridge for people. I'm still respecting what people want, but showing them what I can do," she explains, adding: "Some of the songs, like 'Over You,' are written to sound like relationship-y songs, but they're not."The ethereal "Handsome Hands" is arguably "Lights Out"'s most left-of-center offering. "The song is about death, but it's also about the higher power," she explains. "In moments of desperation, even the most non-religious people pray. When you're pushed to your limits, you look for help from something other than yourself." Similarly, "Wonderful Unknown" is a positive, if beguiling narrative about the fears and uncertainties of growing old with your spouse, which she delivers in a lower register.