Spirit Room, The - Michelle Branch

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Completely unoriginal
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	One hit and lots of B-sides
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money	Poor

Advantages:	Good lyrics
Disadvantages:	Just a bad album

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

I brought this album a few years ago, I'm sure I must have listened to it before, but this is the first time I've really listened to each track individually, so this review is not just to tell you whether it's a good album, it's also telling me. Here you go:

Who is Michelle Branch?

Michelle is an American singer/songwriter who has not only rose to stardom as a solo artist but in 2004 formed a duo called the Wreckers with her long time friend and musician Jessica Harp.

The album 'The Spirit Room' was released in 2001 by Michelle and her record company Maverick Records. The album was an immediate success and sold over 3 million copies.

Despite the fact it sold well, this is what I think of the album and the tracks:

The Album

The track listing for The Spirit Room

Track 1- Everywhere

Definitely one of the best on the album. This was the first single released and it's a brilliant upbeat rock/pop track. It starts off with just a few chords being played and then Michelle's voice comes into play. After the first chorus, the drums and the electric guitar hit in, and it becomes a great pop/rock song. The track is not the best originality track, some may here Avril Lavingne's voice when listenining to this track especially, I know I had a great argument with a friend about whether this was Michelle Branch or Avril singing it, I won of course.

Michelle's voice despite not being too original, is still very strong and this shows in this album. It's very powerfully sung, and she never gets overpowered by the instruments. The instruments are also a great addition to the album, and especially this track. It's very well produced, in this track it goes from just being Michelle and an acoustic guitar and then get's louder with the addition of an electric guitar and the drums but then calms, before finishing with a slow part.

The lyrics in this track are brilliant, nothing that you'll find yourself quoting however they are very nice and quite feel good. It's a song that you need to listen to quite a few times before you see what a brilliant song it is.

Memorable Lyrics: "Just tell me how I got this far
Just tell me why you're here and who you are
'Cause every time I look
You're never there
And every time I sleep
You're always there
'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see"

Rating: 8/10 (A very nice track and a brilliant start to the album)

Track 2- You Get Me

Not the strongest on the album by a long shot, but it's still very good. Her voice sounds very different, more childish than Everywhere. I had forgotten she sung this song, I first heard it on the film What A Girl Wants, and was amazed when I realised she sung it. It's a nice little track, nothing that will stand out as a Michelle Branch song, however this is a very nice track.

The lyrics are great, I think Michelle may sound a bit too girly when singing them, but it doesn't deter away from them. A good addition to the album, but will never be something really special. I think the lyrics below are great.

Memorable Lyrics: "So I'm a little left of centre,
I'm a little out of tune;
Some say I'm paranormal,
So I just bend their spoon,
Who wants to be ordinary?
In a crazy,
Mixed up world,
I don't care what they're saying,
As long as I'm your girl"

Rating: 6/10 (The vocals aren't brilliant on this track, Michelle has quite a powerful voice, which comes to form in quite a few songs on this album, but in this track her vocals seem very forced and a bit too childish)

Track 3- All You Wanted

One of the best on the album, this was actually the second single after everywhere. The song is a lot like everywhere, however I really enjoyed this track more than I did Everywhere. It starts off quite bland, but the chorus really hits up. It's one of the rockier ones on the album and really enjoyable to listen to.

This track shows off what I was talking about in the previous track, her vocals are very strong and they deliver the lyrics with a great amount of information. They don't sound forced, they sound natural and this is shown on this track as it's brilliant.

The instrumental pieces on this track are great as well, I think the instruments on Everywhere are stronger, as I liked the use of the acoustic guitar/electric guitar/drums, they were brilliantly used and produced to make such an great instrumental piece. This shows you what to expect for the rest of the album.

Memorable Lyrics: "I wanted to be like you
I wanted everything
So I tried to be like you
And I got swept away
I didn't know that it was so cold
And you needed someone
to show you the way
So I took your hand and we figured out
That when the time comes
I'd take you away"

Rating: 8/10 (A very strong song, technically it is better than Everywhere, however the instruments are better used in Everywhere so I've given them the same rate)

Track 4- You Set Me Free

One of the weaker one's on the album, the song is brilliant, the lyrics work, her vocals are good, and however it's nothing powerful. I think she really could have let her strong vocals loose on this track, but she seems to hold back and it never becomes memorable enough and never something special.

This is another track which sounds a bit too much like something Avril would produce. It may not be unique however it's an upbeat song, which does have a strong melody and it's just put together okay. The lyrics are nice, but nothing too special. It's one of those tracks you enjoy when listening to it, but never remember it.

Memorable Lyrics: "Can't you see?
There's a feeling that's come over me
Close my eyes
You're the only one that leaves me completely breathless
No need to wonder why
Sometimes a gift like this you can't deny"

Rating: 6/10 (Another weak track, quite unmemorable)

Track 5- Something To Sleep On

This is another weaker track. It's quite a slow one, but I think her voice does get overpowered sometimes by the instruments which is a shame. Her voice is still very good however, it's quite haunting, not as powerful as some tracks, which is a shame, but it's still just an alright song.

This track is not one you'll talk about for months to come, the lyrics are good however as is her voice, however it doesn't have anything memorable about it. I think the best songs on the album, seem to have something special when you here them, she should have known that when her vocals are more powerful, the better the track is.

Memorable Lyrics: She's his yellow brick road
Leading him on
And letting him go as far
as she lets him go
Going down to nowhere
She puts on her make-up
The same way she did yesterday
Hoping everything's the same
But everything has changed"

Rating: 6/10 (Another weak track, there's nothing overall bad about it, it's just a bit too slow and her vocals are not as strong)

Track 6- Here With Me

This track is a more of a hip/hop track than a rock/pop track, which is a great change from the rest of the tracks on the album. Again it's nothing special, it's just a good track which flows into the album brilliantly, it's just not one you'll talk about.

The lyrics are powerful, but again her voice doesn't seem too powerful. With the previous three tracks, it sounds like I've got my headphones in the stereo and the speakers turned up quite loud, but it sounds like there's something missing, you don't feel the power that some of her tracks have, they seem pulled back and it always seems like you should be hearing more than what you hear.

It's a nice and quite an interesting track, it's just not as memorable as I would have liked.

Memorable Lyrics: "I know you had to go away,
I died just a little,
And I feel it now,
You're the one I need,
I believe I would cry just a little,
Just to have you back now,
Here with me,
Here with me"

Rating: 7/10 (Not too week, but nothing too strong. It's just a nice, interesting song)

Track 7- Sweet Misery

I actually didn't think I would like this track and I didn't to start with but after listening to it on repeat as I do when I write the reviews, you really start to understand what a great track it is. I think Michelle's vocals do have the headphone sound again, which is a shame, I really expected more from her, considering her vocals on two of the tracks on the album, however the other tracks don't do her much justice.

It's a simple song, but very nicely produced. The different parts of the songs, work so well together, the lyrics are sung beautifully by Michelle, even if they are not as powerful as I would have liked.

I have heard another version of this track since and do believe that version is a lot better than this one.

Memorable Lyrics: "I was lost
And you were found
You seemed to stand on solid ground
I was weak
And you were strong
And me and my guitar,
we strummed along, oh
Sweet misery you cause me
That's what you called me
Sweet misery you cause me"

Rating: 8/10 (Quite a strong track, a grower)

Track 8- If She Only Knew

I actually had to check to see if my headphones were actually plugged in, as I couldn't fathom the fact that her vocals just seem to get weaker and weaker. On Everywhere they are powerful, very powerful, but these tracks are just weak. Not lyrically or musically but vocally. However ignoring her vocals, which are nice but just not what I would expect, the track is pretty good.

It is one of the unique ones on the album, it doesn't seem to be an Avril copycat, it's memorable, but not for a good reason. I always believe the key to a brilliant album is very strong albums and Michelle doesn't seem to deliver on the last 5 tracks, which is why the track hasn't got as good of a rate that it would if her vocals were more powerful. We all know she's got that range, but why doesn't she use it. Disappointing.

Memorable Lyrics: "I don't know whose side I'm takin'
But I'm not takin' things too well
I can see inside you're achin'
But is it still too early for me to tell?"

Rating: 7/10 (A nice track, but nothing special as her vocals are not up to par)

Track 9- I'd Rather Be In Love

Finally! Is all I can say, this is what I've been waiting for. I knew that my favourite was about to come, which is the next track, but I was expecting this to be another vocally poor track, however she sings from her soul and this track is one of the best on the album.

The lyrics are very strong as well as her vocals, when this album came out I believe Michelle was still in her teens, I assume Michelle wrote this as she wrote some of the stronger tracks on the album, which is great. The lyrics are very powerful considering she was still 18/19 maybe younger when this album was released so she was younger when this was written. Very deep and very moving.

This is a stand out track, it's not one you'll remember like you will the next track and Everywhere, however it's a great difference from the previous 6 tracks which were disappointing.

Memorable Lyrics: "Why are we afraid to be in love?
To be loved,
To be loved,
I can't explain it,
I know it's tough to be loved"

Rating: 8/10 (A very strong vocally sung track)

Track 10- Goodbye To You

Now this is what I've been waiting for. I know I'm not the only one, but I first heard Michelle Branch on the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer singing this song. This is what she is truly about. Her vocals are powerful, the lyrics are powerful and the instruments are just right, they accentuate her voice, they don't over power it.

I could listen to this track over and over again and never get bored. Her vocals in this track are just so powerful. They work so well with the lyrics and she seems to finally let herself go. The track however does sound a lot better live, so it would have been nice for that to be a bonus on the CD or something.

The track itself is very soulful, the lyrics are very touching and very heartfelt and you really feel that Michelle puts every ounce of emotion she can into each lyric. This is the best track on the album, by far and it makes up (slightly) for the disaster that was the other tracks.

The track of course, like all singers is about heartbreak, but it's so much more powerful than that, in the lyrics she's talking about saying goodbye to everything she knew, because the person she loved was everything she wanted, the one thing she tried to hold onto, but couldn't. Very powerfully sung.

A brilliant track and well worth trying the link at the bottom to listen.

Memorable Lyrics: "Of all the things I've believed in
I just want to get it over with
Tears form behind my eyes
But I do not cry
Counting the days that pass me by
I've been searching deep down in my soul
Words that I'm hearing are starting to get old
It feels like I'm starting all over again
The last three years were just pretend
And I said"

Rating: 10/10 (The best song on the album, strongly sung, beautiful lyrics and musically it just works)

Track 11- Drop In The Ocean

To start with I wanted to cry when listening to this, after the masterpiece that is Goodbye To You, the start of this track is awful. However more instruments come into play and it begins to pick up pace and it becomes an okay song. Her vocals are existent and are quite powerful, however it never makes up for the start.

A disappointing track to end on, I think this should have been before I'd Rather Be In Love and then the album would have started on two very powerful tracks and then ends on two very powerful tracks.

This track, like the rest of the album, is just listenable. Nothing more.

Memorable Lyrics: "And when you say
It doesn't matter well it does
And all it takes
Is a mistake to eat your words
Just one more time I think I'll drive on home tonight"

Rating: 5/10 (Weakest on the album, mainly because it ruined the album for you, it would have been nice to end on a high, but instead it's just an awful song with weak lyrics)

My Opinion

Like I said earlier, I first heard Michelle Branch singing 'Goodbye To You' on a Season 6 episode of Buffy I think (sad that I remember that), and immediately fell in love with the song. I was straight onto the computer and managed to find a version of it and loved it. This was back before the likes of YouTube and Itunes so I had to listen to a 30second clip off Amazon for quite a while, until I found myself on EBay and brought the album.

I have to admit, this is the first time I've actually sat through the whole album. I used to put them onto my computer, pick the songs I liked and put them straight onto my 'MP3' player at the time. These were the four that I liked on the album, but I had never really listened to the others in full.

What do I think of the album truthfully, I hear you ask? I still have no idea. So I am going to set this section out a bit differently to my other reviews, here is the good and the bad.

The Good

Goodbye To You & EveryWhere are extremely powerful tracks. Not only is Michelle's voice amazing, as are the lyrics and the instruments used. They are real stand out tracks on the album and these are actually the ones that get people to buy the album in the first place.

I think the album, is good. It's a nice album, if you like this genre of music. She has a very soft voice, but still manages to fit into the pop/rock genre. She has amazing skills as well, I have just found out she wrote 5 out of the 11 tracks and amazingly these were the ones I love, except for Everywhere. Her skills as a singer/songwriter are out of this world, however she is not as original as you would like.

Her voice is very nice to listen to, she's one of those easy listening singers where you can have the album on in the car and not get a headache or even really notice it's on. This is another one of the bad things however as you don't really notice the album, this is not something that is really good.

The Bad

Where is the originality? She's one of the easiest artists to compare to another artist, she sounds too much like the likes of Avril Lavingne or Vanessa Carlton, there's nothing really special, nothing that makes you go wow.

You sit, listen and forget, that is what this album is really all about. There are only two tracks that really stick in your head and these are nothing compared to some of the best songs ever released in her kind of genre in my opinion.

Her vocals seemed to be pulled back, you know that she has an extremely powerful voice from Everywhere and Goodbye To You, however the rest of the tracks, you don't get to hear that. They all sound distorted almost. Have you ever sat next to someone on the bus and they had their music on really loud (with headphones in their ears) and you could hear every word of the lyrics, well this is what some of her tracks sound like. Clear but nothing as powerful as you would want to hear.

The album is also extremely safe, there is nothing, including Goodbye To You, that really makes you get goosebumps or makes you think, you'll love that song in years to come. There's nothing really special on it, which is why I'm not a fan. I've always been a fan of originality and this one of the talents she doesn't seem to have.

There is nothing in this album, that you immediately go this will make money, or this song will always be my favourite, it's just a simple and safe album which okay vocals, and good lyrics.

Her Vocals

There are four tracks on the album out of eleven, which doesn't sound like I've got my headphones plugged into the socket and I'm having to listen through them instead of the stereo.

Her vocals are strong at the best of times, very strong and when she sings like that, she puts more emotion into her voice, which brings more to the song.

Her vocals overall in this album, were just listenable. Nothing too great, nothing too weak, just like the tracks.

The Tracks

The only really decent song on the album is Goodbye To You, I had heard that song so many times before buying the album I brought it thinking the rest would be as powerfully sung, but I was mistaken. The tracks are never weak however, which is why the overall rating of this album isn't as low as you would think it would be. I've not rated any of them under 5 and this is because they are sung beautifully, nothing too powerful, but still you can't take this away from her gorgeous voice.

I think the tracks are very listenable, but I do believe you have to be a real fan of this type of music to like it. I'm just the type of person who will listen to anything, which is not always good as I struggle to convey why I love such a particular genre so much. This album and the tracks were not for me.

The Lyrics

I think this is the best bit about the album, like I said earlier, she writes 5 out of the 11 songs, and you can really tell which one's those are. They are a lot more powerful and more emotionally sung than the rest of the album. All of the tracks on the album have amazing lyrics, I just think her originality ruined this album for me, alongside the fact that her vocals weren't brilliant.

Should You Buy The Album?

I have to admit, before writing this review, I thought this album was alright, but I had never listened to each track individually and I wish I hadn't to be honest. I think this album is ended up straight on EBay now. The lyrics were brilliant, nothing can shine away from that, but there was nothing original, not even in the lyrics, they were sung by an okay singer and not as powerfully sung as I know she could do.

When I first heard Goodbye To You & Everywhere I loved them, so I had to buy the album. I wish I hadn't, the album is in a genre where not everyone can make it and Michelle is one of those ones that really didn't make it with this album.

I've heard half of these songs already on Venessa Carlton's album or Avril Lavingne's album, there's nothing new and this is why I don't believe this album is very good and why you shouldn't buy it.

YouTube Links

Check out some of these songs on YouTube:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WaQSJFyQpZs : Goodbye To You
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9BwRWDG-UyY : Every Where.