Pros: Not the typical teeny-bopper music. Great guitar sounds.
Cons: Drop in the Ocean. They may all start sounding the same.
The Bottom Line: A worthy investment. You can listen to the album while doing practically anything! Michelle has a refreshing, young rock quality that she brings to all her tracks.
mattyd5's Full Review: The Spirit Room by Michelle Branch
I don't know about you, but whenever a song first becomes popular on TRL, and then simultaneously on the Top 40 radio station, I become wary. Should I resist the catchy rhythms and all-too-familiar themes of love in the lyrics? Well that's what I did for Michelle Branch's "Everywhere" when it bombarded the radio and MTV scene. Just another marketing ploy, courtesy of the music industry. Just another teen singer devoid of any uniqueness from her musical peers. Needless to say, I stayed away from her CD. "Everywhere" never struck a chord (Ha Ha Ha) with me.
Being in college means getting special performers to come performs concerts for dirt cheap for us students. It just so happened that Michelle Branch threw a concert for my school this past December. It was only $5 so I figured, why not?
It wound up being $5 well-spent!
One by one, she played the songs from her CD, The Spirit Room and immediately, the music owned me. It was fantastic! I was expecting to hear vapid lyrics and mind-numbing accompanying music, but oh how I was proven wrong! Each song showed wonderful maturity and a true rock identity.
1) "Everywhere" ~
This was her 1st released single off her album. Personally, this didn't impress me that much, but @ least it was a song that differed from Britney/Christina/Jessica/Mandy's characteristic sounds. I guess you could say it was a good break. The song makes you want to get up and dance.
2) "You Get Me" ~
One of my favorites! :) The songs talks about how no one may understand you and how you may feel when you finally find that someone who does "get you." It contains a moderate tempo, slower than "Everywhere." I think this song is perfect for listening to in the car or when you're just hanging by yourself in your room.
3) "All You Wanted" ~
Much like all of her songs on her album, this song has great guitar and drum inter-harmonies and melodies. It's a bit faster than "You Get Me" and probably parallels "Everywhere" more as far as tempo and mood go. If my interpretation skills serve me right, this song delves into finding inner peace and the search for "somebody who cares."
4) "You Set Me Free: ~
'Cause I wanted to fly,
so you gave me your wings
And time held its breath so I could see, yeah
And you set me free
Again, this is about finding a person who is willing to do anything for you because he/she truly cares about you, and how much the "receiver" has benefited from that person. "You Set Me Free" is another happier-mooded songs that deals mainly w/ appreciation. I wouldn't consider listening to this song when you're down, out, and depressed.
5) "Something to Sleep To" ~
I think this song talks about how a girl made the mistake of letting go of her significant other and how she wishes she could go back and change whatever she did to hurt him; she realizes that she should have never let him go. I dunno, I could be wrong, but that's just my interpretation (I haven't taken English in about a year - my interpretation skills may be a little rusty! :o ) Anyway, it's a bit sadder, as it does reflect on a hypothetical - or autobiographical - situation, and hence, is mellower. The tempo is slower and is great to listen to when you're alone - sad or not.
6) "Here With Me" ~
You know that silence is loud when all you hear is your heart
And I wanted so badly just to be a part of something strong and true
But I was scared and left it all behind
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 that I would cry just a little
Just to have you back now
Here with me
Here with me
I think these 2 stanzas would best express the sentiments of the song. Musically, the song has some "chopsticks-esque" influence/rhythm (I really don't know the proper term for this.. :T ). Not one of my favorites, but still a decent piece of work.
7) "Sweet Misery" ~
Sweet misery you cause me
That's what you called me
Sweet misery you cause me
Since I downloaded and burned all of these songs, I have the acoustic instead of the regular version of this song. I've heard both, and I must say that I enjoy the album version much more than the acoustic one. I can swear I hear some faint harmonica-like sounds in the background, so that's cool as well. I wouldn't label this as a sad or happy song, so I'll leave it up to you to interpret.
8) "If Only She Knew" ~
Tempo is slower than the rest of the songs and has a waltz-like quality. Her singing sounds as if they doubled her vocals...so it sounds like there are 2 of her singing. There are also female backup singers as well. There's a significantly subdued drum-cymbal playing so it's more or less just Michelle's acoustics and the drums.
9) "I'd Rather Be in Love" ~
I think the title speaks for itself as far as themes go. Again, she yearns to be with her significant other and feels empty w/o him. Not one of my favorites, but it's a good listen.
10) "Goodbye To You" ~
The song consists of very subtle drum-playing and focuses mainly on the bass and acoustic guitar-playing. This is a slow song with mellow tendencies. It's one of my favorites!
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew
You were the one I love
The one thing that I tried to hold on to
11) "Drop in the Ocean" ~
It definitely has a ocean-like feel to it - the musical movements come in waves. There is what I think would be some organ and violin sounds added to Michelle's echoed vocals. It's the slowest and most mellow song of the entire album. On the other hand, I think this is the worst song off the album. It just sounds completely detached from the other songs and does not flow well at all.
If you are still unsure, I'd strongly recommend going to either www.bn.com or amazon.com and sampling each track. Happy listening!
She s 18, and she knows what she wants. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Michelle Branch leads the next evolution in pop with her debut major-label album, ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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