As the Hotel Café became a nationally recognized launching pad forsongwriters in 2008, Ingrid Michaelson stood out amongst the venue'snative artists, having already established her credibility throughlicensing deals and MySpace playbacks. Her second independent release,Girls and Boys, made waves one year prior when it toppled the iTunescharts, eventually selling over 740,000 digital copies of its leadsingle thanks to promotional help from Old Navy commercials and Grey'sAnatomy episodes. Arriving in 2008, Be OK furthers her NorahJones-gone-pop approach with 11 tracks. This isn't a proper studioeffort -- rather, it's a benefit project (with proceeds going to cancerresearch) that takes its material from live performances, rarities, andseveral new tracks. Filled with handclaps and breezy guitar chords, "BeOK" is the album's flagship song as it bookends the set list with twodifferent versions -- one filled with harmonies, keyboards, andpercussion, and the other sticking close to the acoustic formula.

Michaelson's voice is strong enough to carry such tracks alone, but hermelodies sound strongest when flanked by buoyant harmonies, whetherthey're provided by the singer's own double-tracked voice orcontributions from her touring bandmates. "The Chain," a longtime livefavorite and perhaps the best song on this disc, even careens into anemotional three-person round, utilizing the harmony approach betterthan any Michaelson track since "The Way I Am." She leads the pack,advising her estranged lover to "glide away on soapy heels" while hermelodies are echoed by Bess Rogers and Allie Moss. It's a simple song,but its passion and presentation make all the difference -- a telltalesign of a songwriter who knows how to breathe new life into a veterangenre