THank you to everyone who helped me turn blue - on the mystical magical journey to purple now :)
THank you to everyone who helped me turn blue - on the mystical magical journey to purple now :)
Member since:01.01.2005
Reviews:6
Members who trust:5
A few years ago I heard the musical stylings of Michelle Branch, an amazing voice that projected meaningful, beautiful lyrics. I was hooked. I looked out for the album in local shops but had trouble finding anything. The entrancing sounds of this amazing talent faded from my mind, until a couple of days ago I found this album looking at me in HMV. I was shocked, to say the least, what a blast from the past. I bought the album and I’m definitely not regretting it.
BACKGROUND Michelle had always loved singing but when she received a guitar as a present for her fourteenth birthday, things really got started. She begun writing her own songs and playing gigs in her hometown. She wrote and released her debut album, ‘Broken Bracelet’, by the time she was eighteen, with no record contract or help. Maverick then signed her and together the produced this wonderful album ‘The Spirit Room’. The album was of course a success with the easy to listen to singles ‘Everywhere’ and ‘All You Wanted’. Since then she has also released the album ‘Hotel Paper’. She draws her inspiration from across the ages and many genres. She aspires to be as motivating as the Beatles and as honest as Jimi Hendrix. She wants to tell the truth and let people feel the love, they can’t grasp.
THE SPIRIT ROOM This album has found itself located under ‘Rock & Pop’, I’m sure I’d agree with this. Some of the tracks have a slightly rocky feel to them, but it’s most definitely not a rock album. It has a rather chilled out, easy listening essence really. A lot of the tracks have an acoustic feel, which is very well suited to Michelle’s voice. There is never heavy percussion in this album but strong beats are sometimes used with simple, soft drums. There is a lot of guitar music in this album, because Michelle
plays this herself and it accompanies her voice delightfully.
The lyrics are undoubtedly meaningful and very moving. Many of the tracks focus around love, ‘Everywhere’ is not being able to stop thinking of someone and ‘Here With Me’ is longing to have someone back. However ‘Sweet Misery’ is about the pain people can cause, so the album is by no means exclusively a sappy, album about love.
One thing that remains constant throughout the album is the amazing talent and passion of Michelle’s voice. In every song it shines through, with an capturing power. In places during the album her voice becomes very high while in others it is far quieter and soft. This, in my opinion, is the mark of a talented singer, someone who can sing a variety of tones and mood, with different pitch and tone. Michelle accomplishes this ease.
Everywhere (running time 3.35min) This is the first track I heard by Michelle Branch; it is the most popular and commonly known song on the album. The lyrics of this track focus around seeing someone everywhere, but they’re never there. A range of tones are displayed during this song, which is what makes it so emotive. The track has an acoustic sound but the chorus is covered but a heavier guitar sound. This song makes for a very powerful opening to this magnificent album. “You’re in everyone I see, But tell me, Do you see me”
You Get Me (running time 3.54min) This song opens with Michelle’s voice sounding very innocent. It has an angelic quality. This track is softer than its predecessor, but has more percussion and less guitar sound. The lyrics relate to being understood and how nice that can be. This track is very calm and peaceful. “You look inside my will mind, Never knowing what you’ll find, And still you want me all the time”
All You Wanted (running time 3.38min) The song opens with guitar and percussion, which create a sombre sound. The lyrics are centred around Michelle’s offer to save someone, even though she really wanted to be like them, but there are always things you don’t realise “So lonely inside, So busy out there”. This is a bit of a radio track but nothing spoils the magic of Michelle’s voice. “All you wanted, was somebody who cares”
You Set Me Free (running time 3.09min) A purely acoustic beginning opens a song, which truly grabs the listeners’ attention. The lyrics describe of all the things ‘you’ do to make me feel free. This is my favourite track on the album, as it shows talent and the sound is amazing. The lyrics are easy to relate to and expressive. “I wanted to fly, So you gave me your wings”
Something To Sleep To (running time 4.13min) This track is quiet and sombre to start, but picks up to be quite a powerful. The lyrics are about a woman who is leading someone on, “She’s his yellow brick road, leading him on”. Michelle’s voice in this song is fantastic; it has an angelic sound and also conveys the hurt of a heartbroken lover. “Everything we did was right, Open your eyes, I’m still by your side”
Here With Me (running time 3.25min) This song sounds aquatic at the beginning, which transforms in a dance sound but both subside to reveal a fantastic peaceful sound. The lyrics are a plea to inform how much she wants him back, it seems she’s do anything just to have him there. “I died just a little, And I feel it now”
Sweet Misery (running time 3.43min) A slow and steady rhythm, which when accompanied by Michelle’s voice creates a great sound. The song focuses on how much other people can cause you to hurt. Although this is a great song, it’s not a personal favourite. “Sweet misery you caused me, That’s what you called me”
If Only She Knew (running time 4.19min) This has a very familiar sound but has been well customised by Michelle. It seems that there’s a fight going on “I don’t know whose side I’m taking” but at the same time there is much confusion as Michelle “I’m still not over you, Cause I still love you like I did before” The lyrics seem to suggest if only she knew that Michelle wasn’t over ‘you’. The song has a great sound that you get drawn into.
I’d Rather Be In Love (running time 3.55min) In this track Michelle’s voice has very little accompaniment and stands alone very well and displays her true talent. Over everything else she’d rather be in love, is the main sentiment of the lyrics of this song. The music of this song is light but really pleasant. “I just want you here with me, And I’d give up everything only for you”
Goodbye To You (running time 4.11min) This song is a story of how everything changes when you lose someone you love, it has an experienced quality to it. It’s a very moving song as the music is soft and adds to the mood in Michelle’s voice. “Goodbye to you, Goodbye to everything I thought I knew”
Drop In The Ocean (running time 4.18min) The beginning of this song is cold and emotionless. This is a very different sound to the other tracks on the album, I still haven’t decided if its good or bad different. Michelle also uses her voice in a very different way, which changes the mood too. The music is at times slow and steady, at others it becomes pacey. A whale song type of sounds runs throughout. “And every time I drift away, I lose myself in you”
CD INLAY All the lyrics and production details can be found in the CD inlay. As well as, various pictures of Michelle playing the guitar surrounded by tacky wall paper. The front cover of the inlay shows Michelle against a silhouetted town, this is a very powerful image.
COST AND AVAILABILITY I bought my copy of this album from HMV for £15.99 It is also available from play.com for £9.99, a saving of £5.30 from their RRP
CONCLUSION Although I paid over the odds for this album, there is no way I regret it. Since I bought it, I have listened to nothing else. Michelle has a powerfully entrancing voice and her musical style is under rated and just not known to far too many people, which is a shame as we may lose her talent.
I would have to put her music on a par with Alanis Morissette, who I am also a great fan of. So, if you like Alanis Morissette you will probably also like Michelle Branch.
I haven’t heard ‘Broken Bracelet’, I consider this to be Michelle’s debut album as it was her first big release, and considering that it’s a great album. There are no ‘bad’ tracks on this album, some are not to my personal taste but I can still appreciate the talent in them.
I don’t think there is an artist performing at the moment who utilises their talent as well as Michelle does. Her lyrics are meaningful, truthful and she deserves to make it big.
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"So I'm a little left of centre, I'm a little out of tune", sings Michelle Branch on The ... more
Spirit Room's second number "You Get Me" ...well, maybe. Branch offers a well-produced pastiche of chiming and strumming guitars, hip-hop-lite beats, quiet-verse-t...
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Jan 16th, 2005
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