A Spirited Debut Marks The Emergence Of Michelle Branch With The Spirit Room

The Good: Good lyrics, themes, Decent music, Moments of voice
The Bad: Repetitive sound and feel throughout album, Ending, Short!
The Basics: Michelle Branch offers a solid debut that makes the listener reconsider young artists with her pop-rock guitar-driven The Spirit Room.


Michelle Branch impressed me from the first time I saw the video for "Everywhere." She did it quite simply, too; she was on screen playing her guitar. At the height of the Blonde Revolution, when pop music was characterized by the ramblings of blonde teen performers who were created by studios, there was a brunette artist strumming on her guitar. Still stinging from my investing in Britney Spears (I didn't think the single ". . . Baby One More Time" - reviewed here! - would go anywhere), I waited until I had heard the requisite three singles from Michelle Branch's debut, The Spirit Room before investing in this young talent. I've been glad ever since that I did.

With eleven tracks, clocking in at under forty-two and a half minutes, The Spirit Room is the emergence of a true, young artist. Michelle Branch wrote of co-wrote all eleven tracks and she plays guitar and keyboards on the songs as well. While she does not take any production credits on this album, it ought to be noted that several of the songs were produced by her co-writer John Shanks, so one might assume she was generally pleased with the way those tracks were produced as well. My point here is that this album seems to be very much the vision and direction of Michelle Branch.

And I have to say, I'm impressed. I don't think I've been so impressed by a debut since Fiona Apple's Tidal (reviewed here!) and that album took a while to grow on me. Michelle Branch leaps into the pop-rock market as a young woman with a guitar (and on a few tracks, a keyboard) and something to say. What makes The Spirit Room so worthwhile is the sense that Branch is not simply a young woman out to capitalize on her youthful looks to sell c.d.s and lip gloss, but rather she presents a startling mature musical vision that is enough to make one sit up and notice her.

While she started out with the very pop-rock track "Everywhere," which could have been used as an advertisement for virtually every teen drama on the WB, The Spirit Room is generally more mature than that. Instead of just pining for the cute guy, Branch sings about loss ("Goodbye To You"), being in a bad relationship ("Sweet Misery") and finding someone who understands and clicks with you ("You Get Me"). She even sings about emotional infidelity (quite well) on "If Only She Knew" and it's worth noting that the album is mildly frontloaded (two of the three hits from the album are in the first three tracks), the real frontloading is the collaborative Branch; as the album progresses, the songs become more Michelle Branch's voice (she wrote - solo - four of the last five songs on the album).

Ironically, one of the flaws with the album is the way that it ends. Branch closes The Spirit Room with "Drop In The Ocean," a slow, ponderous track that has Branch echoing out her lines. While it might usually be a fine closer, the prior track, "Goodbye To You" knocks it out and is a perfect ending to the album. With the sad lines like "Of all the things I've believed in / I just want to get it over with [THAT'S THE line!] / Tears form behind my eyes / But I do not cry / Counting the days that pass me by . . . Goodbye to everything that I knew / You were the one I loved / The one thing that I tried to hold on to . . ." ("Goodbye To You") sung melodically and passionately with her guitar, the song is one of the best breakup songs ever. It's a shame she didn't close with it; it would have ended the album with real punch.

But it's not all teen angst and doom and gloom from The Spirit Room, far from it. The superlative track - one of the songs not released as a single - is the surprisingly playful "You Get Me." Branch opens with "So, I'm a little left of center / I'm a little out of tune / Some say I'm paranormal / I just bend their spoon . . ." ("You Get Me") to sing a song about how even eccentrics may find love. It's pretty wonderful and it's a refreshing change of pace in this divisive world. Branch offers the chance to express something that is fun, well-phrased and sung in a way that perfectly fits the lyrics. Even the little laugh at the beginning of the song fits the track wonderfully as she loosely invites the listener into her world.

And Branch has decent range. She's an alto who usually stays safely in her pitch, but she seems to have fun with it. It's sufficient for her debut and - fortunately - she does not succumb to the ridiculous trend of trying to sound nasal. Instead, she presents a rather genuine vocal image and the listener can actually hear HER voice (instead of production elements).

As well, Branch creates songs that are solidly pop-rock with melodies that are memorable. If you've listened to the radio since 2001, odds are you've heard either the upbeat "Everywhere" or the equally emblematic "All You Wanted." Both singles are adequate representations of the sound of the average track on The Spirit Room. Most of them have Branch playing guitar, her voice just a few decibels before the instrumentation.

So, in short, Michelle Branch rightfully bounds onto the musical stage as a genuine artist at a time when such are scarce. Not merely a performer, The Spirit Room is a strong debut that encourages those disappointed with youth and pop music to hang on and give both another chance. This one's worth it.

The best track is "You Get Me," the least inspired is the somewhat jumbled "Something To Sleep To" (though even that I've found myself humming).

For other solo female artists, please visit my reviews of:
Glowstars - Heather Nova
"Only Love (The Ballad Of Sleeping Beauty)" (single) - Sophie B. Hawkins
End Of The Summer - Dar Williams

7/10

For other music reviews, please check out my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Non-Blonde With Talent Continues To Push Into Pop Culture With Hotel Paper!

The Good: Excellent lyrics, Mostly good voice, Decent instrumentals, Nice arrangement
The Bad: One or two moments of voice, Short.
The Basics: In a spectacular sophomore album, Michelle Branch proves her debut success was not a fluke with Hotel Paper.


It took me a while to go out and buy Hotel Paper and now that I own Michelle Branch's second album, I find myself wondering what kept me from getting it. Unlike Branch's debut The Spirit Room, I was only familiar with two singles from Hotel Paper, "Are You Happy Now?" and "Breathe." I liked them, but it fell short of my three-single-to-buy rule. It's probably a stupid rule on my part, but it does keep me from blowing a lot of money on compact discs.

In all honesty, the only real problems with Hotel Paper are that: 1. It's short and 2. There are moments where the music - especially Branch's voice - just doesn't come together. For the short, it's a shame. Branch is an actual artist and the fact that she has a high caliber of work, yet only thirteen songs spanning less than forty-five minutes is disheartening. Presumably, the lack of extra songs was to make way for the enhanced c.d. extras. And, in the nitpicky department, the album is not vocally perfect. So, for example, I'm not wild about the "whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo's" in "Are You Happy Now?" The strained quality to her voice in "Empty Handed" also comes across as somewhat awkward.

But that's mostly nit-picking. The advantage Branch has over others in her age range (I refuse to call Britney and others her "peers," she's definitely a huge step away from them) is that she is not overproduced. So, when she sings awkwardly on the opening to "Empty Handed," we hear her voice and know it is Branch; she has not had her voice produced out of her music. That is refreshing.

But Hotel Paper is not consumed with flaws. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, Hotel Paper is a sophomore album that illustrates that The Spirit Room was not a fluke of talent. Michelle Branch is a talented lyricist and the tracks on Hotel Paper tend to be more sophisticated and less obvious than some of those on The Spirit Room. Gone is the sugary pop of "Everywhere" (Branch's first single on The Spirit Room, which was a good song for what it was) and instead, we have the angst of "'Til I Get Over You" and the longing of "Desperately." Branch's first album hinted at her ability to pull at the emotional heartstrings of listeners with "Goodbye To You," but Hotel Paper finds her vision far more realized.

And it is Michelle Branch's vision. Branch wrote or co-wrote every song on Hotel Paper and her sensibilities and talent shine through. Her second album contains more adult sentiments like these from "'Til I Get Over You:" "Every time I feel alone / I can blame it on you / And I do . . . You just bring me down / . . . / So I'm counting my tears 'til I get over you." There is loss, the consequence of losing one who the narrator has made their entire life. In fact, there's a wonderful, if dark, bookend to "Everywhere" (the first track on The Spirit Room) and "'Til I Get Over You," (the penultimate track on Hotel Paper).

Branch's music is pop, for the most part. Some of her tracks edge into rock and roll, like the wonderful duet with Sheryl Crow "Love Me Like That." Regardless of the genre, Branch plays her own instrument and that is worthy of a lot of praise, especially these days. Branch plays acoustic guitar on several tracks and she plays it well. I was, in fact, shocked by the liner notes to read that on the duet with Crow, neither Branch nor Crow is playing guitar. Talk about not using the talent in front of you! Both Crow and Branch are phenomenal on the guitar, so it is somewhat baffling that someone else did the guitar for their appearance together.

But Branch elevates the quality of pop by not having stupid lyrics, inane sampling or tired and predictable instrumentals. And by not overproducing her vocals, her talent actually shines through. She is the antidote to the stale garbage we too often hear when we turn on the radio. And it is especially intriguing to hear such sentiments from one so young. It would be impossible to take Britney Spears seriously if she were to sing, "Love is something you work at" as Branch does in "Love Me Like That," but Branch sells it. She has presence and makes us believe she knows how to make a relationship work. Just by her music. Just by her presence on the c.d.

Who will like Hotel Paper? Anyone sick of female solo artists on the popular scene who are overplayed, talentless hacks who got lucky or keep selling discs simply because they shake their breasts and butt. Anyone who wants a genuine pop-rock artist who is intelligent, musically capable and who . . . well, rocks. Who won't like Hotel Paper? Younger listeners won't get her depth, but they should probably listen to her anyway. It gives them something to grow into.

An album that shows clear growth thematically, Hotel Paper is worth your time and attention. The best tracks are "Where Are You Now?" and "'Til I Get Over You." The weakest link is the closing "It's You."

For other indie pop female artists, check out my reviews of:
One Cell In The Sea - A Fine Frenzy
The Crossing - Sophie B. Hawkins
Human Again - Ingrid Michaelson

7/10

For other music reviews, be sure to check out my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2006 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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