Michelle Branch back to pop roots in 'Loud Music'

Michelle Branch has just premiered the video for her first single "Loud Music" from her upcoming third studio album "West Coast Time." due out in September. It's her first pop music single in 6 years and the first solo album in 8 years, as well. But it's what she does best, so she couldn't stay away forever and her brand new single, "Loud Music," is no exception. The clip tells two simultaneous stories: the literal one, in which Branch and her band goof off on tour, listening to and performing loud music, and the figurative one, told out of chronological order, in which Branch meets-cute in a record store and she and the dude make loud music together.
The up-beat pop-rock track was co-written and produced by British team Jim Irvin and Julian Emery, who are best known for their collaborations with American singer-songwriter Lissie. Branch explained on an Ustream chat: "I had been listening to the Lissie record, and her song, 'When I'm Alone' is one of my favorite songs out right now. I found out that Jim and Julian were responsible for it, so I wanted to work with them."
"Loud Music," finds her singing about a rocker beau and referencing Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, is definitely the kind of song that sounds best, well, loud, with its '80s pop flavor and heavy-on-the-guitar back-track. Branch first introduced herself to the pop world as a teenager, before (temporarily) going country. The country inflections are still there in Branch's voice, but they sound even more like the quirks she brought with her from the start.
Without the constant hard-rock callouts, "Loud Music" is a perfect hybrid between the folkie Branch we've come to love and the more mature, rocker Branch that we think is dying to break through. Branch's vocals far lower and matter-of-fact than the content calls for. With multiple mentions of classic rock bands and a drive to shake the roof off the place, it's clear Branch is a rock 'n' roll star at heart. If this new single is any indication of where Branch is headed, we plan to follow. The 28-year-old Grammy-award winning artist is back!

Michelle Branch & Timbaland Make A "Getaway"

Ever feel like you need to add some colour into your life and "Getaway" from the ordinary? Grammy-winner Michelle Branch and R&B/Hip-Hop producer Timbaland teamed up with MINI Cooper's new Countryman car to create this video inspired by the idea of getting away. The 26-year-old singer, best known for having a string of pop hits in the early 2000s, including "Everywhere," "All You Wanted," and "Breathe" before ditching pop to go country in the now defunct duo The Wreckers. She's been inching toward a comeback since late, last year.

"Getaway" is an upbeat song about wanting to escape from life's stressors for awhile and is expected to appear in Branch's upcoming solo studio album "Everything Comes and Goes," and it apparently the car inspired Branch to write "Getaway." "I saw the new car and I was inspired to write a song about getting away and getting out from the everyday confinements of life. Sometimes the fix for that is taking a road trip, so I worked on an exciting project with Timbaland and he produced the track with me."
The music video sees Branch hooking up with Timbaland in studio. The country, pop/rock singer is laying her vocal and strumming her guitar in the recording booth, while the rapper/producer is sitting behind the mixing table. "I love Michelle Branch, I love what she does," Tim said of his newest collaborator. "What I did was take her beautiful soft voice on my grungy, hard beats. Country meets Timbo." The excitement for the project is mutual. "I was so excited [to work with Timbaland]," Branch said. "My favorite part about music is when you can cross genres and try something new... We're very proud of it."
Branch's compelling new album for Warner Nashville has been long in the making and well worth the wait. "Everything Comes And Goes" is a breakthrough effort once and for all establishing Branch as a significant, grown up talent in her own right. It's a deeply personal statement of purpose from a singer-songwriter who's already experienced success in a variety of formats over the course of nearly a decade as a recording artist. Yet for all that she has already accomplished in her life. The resulting album offers the powerful, emotional and ultimately life-affirming sound of a gifted singer-songwriter who left some pieces of her heart behind, but found some new pieces along the way too. "I never consider what an album's about while I’m recording it," Branch says finally. "But in the end, I guess that 'Everything Comes And Goes' is really a record about passion--about wanting it, about losing it and then finding it all over again."