The Return of Michelle Branch

Michelle Branch will always have a special place in my heart. She made her entrance as the teen pop bubble was deflating and was she was one of a slew of Arizona artists to make an impact nationally. It was sweet to say that you've at least driven through the hometown of all your favorite artists (Jimmy Eat World from Mesa, the Format from Peoria, and Branch from Sedona) and "Everywhere" and "All You Wanted" are as much a part of the soundtrack of my life circa freshman and sophomore year as "Sweetness", "The Middle", and "The First Single".

After two solo albums, Branch got fed up with having to deliver radio friendly pop hits to her record company so, she said screw it and teamed up with backup singer Jessica Harp to form the Wreckers. Now Branch is back with a new solo single and her first album since 2003's Hotel Paper. Her new song, "Sooner or Later", is a lot more country tinged than anything she did the first half of the decade. Give it to Taylor Swift and it would go top ten easy but for an artist who hasn't had a top 40 hit in six years, that might be a little harder.

Michelle Branch "Sooner or Later"