Just in case you haven’t seen the video yet for the new Michelle Branch single, “Loud Music,”…here it is. “Loud Music” is the first official single to be taken from Branch’s forthcoming third studio West Coast Time. The album was originally slated for release in September, but has since been pushed back to “mid October,” according to Billboard. Perhaps that’s a good thing, considering “Loud Music” has yet to make an appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, instead climbing Billboard’s Hot Adult Top 40 chart, peaking (so far) at #22. Releasing another single between now and the album’s Fall release could give Branch the chance to do a little bit more promotion for the record, her first solo record since 2003’s Hotel Paper. Musically speaking, the mid-tempo pop/rock “Loud Music” picks up right where Hotel Paper left off, with a little hint of a country twang in the verses. The song was co-written by Branch and English UK team Jim Irvin and Julian Emery and released in America this past June.
At only 28 years old, Michelle Branch already seems like a seasoned industry pro. She first made waves back in 2001 with the release of her major label debut album, The Spirit Room on Maverick Records. Following it’s August 14th release, the album went on to peak at #28 on the Billboard 200 chart and went double platinum in 2010 with over 2 million copies sold. Debut single, “Everywhere,” peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, not to mention going Top 20 in Australia, and the UK (the song even went all the way to #2 in New Zealand). Follow up single, “All You Wanted” was even more successful stateside, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. A third single, “Goodbye To You,” (one of my personal favs) managed to peak just outside the Top 20. Joining forces with the legendary rock outfit Santana in 2002, “The Game Of Love” became a massive hit for both artists, peaking at #5 on the Hot 100 chart as well as #1 on both the Adult Contemporary Chart and the Adult Top 40 chart.
Branch’s follow up record, Hotel Paper, was released two years later (also on Maverick) where it debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the highest charting album of her entire career (including her work with The Wreckers). The album spawned three singles, “Are You Happy Now?” (#16), “Breathe” (#36) and “Till I Get Over You.” After Hotel Paper started to fizzle, Branch joined forces with gal pal and fellow singer/songwriter Jessica Harp and formed a country duo called The Wreckers. First collaborating with Santana on a single called “I’m Feeling You,” the Wreckers released an album in 2006, Stand Still, Look Pretty,” which managed to peak at #4 on the Billboard Country Chart. While the duo’s first single, “The Good Kind” peaked just outside the Hot 100, second single “Leave The Pieces” did substantially better, rising to the top of the Country Chart not to mention #34 on the Hot 100, #54 on the Pop Chart and #19 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. The Wreckers released two additional singles and a live album before ultimately going their separate ways. While rumors of a third album began to circulate in 2008/2009, nothing came of it, other than an EP called Everything Comes and Goes which was released via Warner Bros. Nashville in August of last year. The EP was decidedly more country than Branch’s Hotel Paper recordings, suggesting that the singer/songwriter was sticking with the country sound she brought to The Wreckers. The first single off of the EP, “Sooner Or Later” peaked at #93 on the Hot 100 chart.
“Loud Music” is a welcomed return to the pop/rock sound that first earned Branch all of her praise. Having just come off of a North American tour with the Goo Goo Dolls and singing “God Bless America” during the 82nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game, it’s time for Branch to get down and dirty and start promoting herself. I’d love to see a strong debut for West Coast Time but I think she needs to get some momentum going before that’s even possible. I’m a little concerned that we’ve been without Michelle Branch for too long for her to still make much of an impression on the charts. Check out the fun clip for “Loud Music” below. Nothing special, just your run of the mill tour footage video but still…nice to see Branch doing her thing once again.
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