The Spirit Room Explained

The Spirit Room
Type:studio
Artist:Michelle Branch
Cover:The_Spirit_Room_02.jpg
Released:August 14, 2001
Recorded:1999–2001
Genre:
Length:42:26
Label:
  • Maverick
  • Warner Bros.
Producer:
Next Title:Hotel Paper
Next Year:2003

The Spirit Room is the major-label debut studio album and second album overall by American singer-songwriter Michelle Branch, released by the Maverick Recording Company and Warner Bros. Records in the United States on August 14, 2001.[1] The album was recorded at Sunset Sound, Henson Recording Studios and Ananda Studios in Hollywood, California and mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Marcussen Mastering in Los Angeles, California.

Background

The album's title comes from the name of a bar in Jerome, Arizona, near Branch's hometown of Sedona.[2]

Artwork

The album cover was shot in an industrial area across from an electrical substation in Los Angeles, California alongside the Los Angeles River facing north-west at the skyline during sunset.[3]

20th anniversary edition

Branch decided to celebrate its anniversary by re-recording the album and pressing it on vinyl for the first time.[4] On September 10, 2021, Branch performed the album in its entirety during a special virtual concert. An afterparty and Q&A session followed.[5] It was released on October 15, 2021.

Commercial performance

The Spirit Room debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard 200, selling 68,000 copies in its first week.[6] Although, it had commercial success in the US, the album spent a total of 86 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart, making it Branch's longest charting album in the US.[7] As of July 2003, the album has sold 1.8 million copies in the US.[8] On August 19, 2011, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over two million copies in the United States.The Spirit Room has sold 3 million copies worldwide, making it Branch's best selling album to date.[9]

In Canada, although the album did not appear on the chart the album was certified gold, selling 50,000 copies in October 2003.[10] In Australia, it was also certified gold with shipments of 35,000.[11]

Legacy

In 2021, Branch revealed that Taylor Swift had told her The Spirit Room had been a major influence on her own music.[12] [13]

Singles

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Use in media

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2001–2002)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[17] 12

Year-end charts

Chart (2002)! scope="col"
Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[18] 185
US Billboard 200[19] 52
Chart (2003)Position
US Billboard 200[20] 184

Notes and References

  1. Michelle Branch: The Spirit Room. August 2001. Maverick/Warner Bros. Records.
  2. Web site: Michelle Branch: "She's Everywhere". https://web.archive.org/web/20011006210948/http://www.mtv.com/bands/b/branch_michelle/news_feature_100601/index.jhtml. dead. October 6, 2001. 2001. MTV. May 23, 2010. in front of this bar called the Spirit Room..
  3. Web site: Google Earth.
  4. Web site: Michelle Branch is back in The Spirit Room, 20 Years Later. https://web.archive.org/web/20210813170910/http://www.mtv.com/news/3179794/michelle-branch-the-spirit-room-20th-anniversary/. dead. August 13, 2021. August 13, 2021 . MTV News . October 28, 2021. Irvin, Jack.
  5. Web site: Michelle Branch celebrates 20th anniversary of 'The Spirit Room' with re-recording of album. August 26, 2021 . Bandwagon . October 28, 2021. Bogedon, Kara.
  6. News: Beyonce, Branch Albums Storm The Chart. Martens. Todd. 2003-07-02. Billboard. 2009-02-02.
  7. Web site: Michelle Branch . 2023-03-02 . Billboard . en-US.
  8. Web site: Ashanti Returns To No. 1 With 'Chapter II'. Billboard. July 9, 2003. March 1, 2020.
  9. Web site: Michelle Branch - The Trouble with Fever Tour (Postponed) at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville. Do615.
  10. http://www.cria.ca/gold/1003_g.php Two French language artists hit Gold
  11. Web site: The ARIA Report: Issue 672 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20030106130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20030107-0000/Issue672.pdf . dead . 2003-01-06 . webarchive.nla.gov.au . 2006-08-23 . 2012-03-12.
  12. Web site: Michelle Branch on The Spirit Room at 20: 'It was allowed to remain authentically teenage'. White. Adam. 14 August 2021. The Independent. 17 November 2024.
  13. Web site: Michelle Branch On Influencing Taylor Swift & Re-Recording 'The Spirit Room'. September 8, 2021. Nylon.
  14. Web site: World Jazz Top 20 Singles (2001-08-30).
  15. Web site: Michelle Branch :: Goodbye to You [RADIO202_09B-09].
  16. Web site: All 26 songs from the What a Girl Wants (2003) Soundtrack.
  17. Web site: ザ・スピリット・ル-ムミシェル・ブランチ. Oricon news. February 1, 2024. ja.
  18. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20040906184132/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/200-2_2002.html. September 6, 2004. Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales). Jam!. March 23, 2022.
  19. Web site: Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002. Billboard. December 5, 2018.
  20. Web site: Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003. Billboard. December 5, 2018.

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