Michelle Branch performing at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday, July 25, 2017.
Many of you all may know Michelle Branch from her 2001 hit album The Spirit Room, featuring well-known singles like “Everywhere” and “All You Wanted.” But this past Tuesday night at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, Branch proved that she is back from those days and that she can rock now more than ever. Accompanied by her band, including fiancé and drummer of the Black Keys Patrick Carney, Branch provided an eclectic mix of both new tunes off her recent album Hopeless Romantic and a fresh take on her older songs.
The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
In terms of the newer songs, it is certainly noticeable that Carney co-produced Hopeless Romantic. The songs uniquely combine the raw, blues, garage rock known to the Black Keys, with Branch’s strong, girl-power vocals, to render musical perfection. Branch’s impressive pipes, which seamlessly slip in and out of falsetto, as well as her clean guitar skills, truly shine in this new sound.
As for her older songs, Branch successfully revamped hits like “Everywhere” to encapsulate her new Nashville homestead, adding a flavor of country rock and bluegrass. On Tuesday night, her version of “The Game of Love,” a 2002 Santana song in which she was featured, reflected that of a country ballad. Branch’s rendition of 2006’s “Leave the Pieces” by her band, the Wreckers, recalled sweet folk. Her solo, electric version of “Everywhere” screamed hard rock.
Certainly, at the young age of 34, Michelle Branch is here to stay and seemingly has much more music to be made. With her sounds reaching from rock to pop to blues to country to folk, her options are truly endless.
Michelle Branch performing at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday, July 25, 2017.