Spirit Room not your typical female-with-a-guitar album

One does not need to be Charles Darwin to know there is evolution in the world, in humans, in life. As life for some, music is not excluded from this. Some musicians step on the path halfway through with some direction, some of them take a few beginning steps and wander off discouraged, some of them cross the finish line and walk onward towards a blurred future that can only be greatness.

Michelle Branch, with her sticker-covered guitar case in hand, dark eyes surveying the scene, dark hair blowing in the wind, steps onto the musical path somewhere between the beginning and the middle. She's new to this, but not clueless. She knows love, she knows things don't always work out perfectly, she knows what sounds good, and she knows music. This is a girl who wrote her own biography for her website, calling it "the love story between me and music."

Her debut album Spirit Room, on its first listen, could be mistakenly dismissed by some as a stereotypical female-with-a-guitar album about love by a girl who is younger than Britney Spears. Those who are willing to devote a second listen, however, start realizing its true identity and switch their CD players to repeat for the rest of the day. There is a theme of blindness, of learning, of searching for that one person that can help her see more. She sings about the people that have always known who she was, who have helped her through life so far. Mixed in are songs about wanting more, wanting a person that eludes her, wanting someone that isn't hers to want.

All these stories are delivered with catchy and upbeat accompaniment that's borderline pop but just far enough away from the line to keep her voice the main part of the song, not the beat.

As the Spirit Room experience comes to a close, the album winds down with a tearful "Goodbye to You", a song about leaving behind everything she knows and saying goodbye. Then we close our eyes and are left with the lullaby-esque "Drop in the Ocean", an optimistic look on love, with every hope for happiness: "…and now I've realized that nothing has been as beautiful as when I saw heaven's skies in your eyes."

We can be assured this will not be the last album by Michelle Branch, music is in her blood and she will walk far on the musical path. We should feel lucky to have found her this early because this is only the beginning for her and who knows what is yet to come.

Summary--
Repeat Factor: as much time as you've got
Catchiest Song: All You Wanted
Best Song to Sing Along To: Here With Me
Best Feel-Good Song: Sweet Misery
Rating: 9 out of 10