Between pop and poetic

Here comes another girl with a guitar and a scrapbook full of songs.

First, there was Sheryl Crow. Then Jewel shone in the charts. Now, it’s Michelle Branch’s turn to be everywhere — in every listener’s ears and in every pop-loving male’s dreams.

What everyone first noticed when she walked in the room for the press conference of her Philippine promo tour was her deadringer Ara Mina looks. She could be the next "imported" screen siren if she wants to but at the moment, she’s busy promoting and enjoying the enormous success of her second album, The Spirit Room, which has already gone platinum in the United States.

"We all play guitar and write our own music," Michelle says in response to comparisons between her and Sheryl Crow or Jewel. "I think Jewel is definitely more poetic. Sheryl Crow is a definite rock chick. I think I’m kinda lingering in the boundaries of pop music."

It’s difficult to label Branch’s sound, however. Her tunes are not as pop as Britney Spears and not even as rock and roll as Sheryl Crow. She gravitates more to the level of Lisa Loeb but with enough poetic sparks of her own to give Jewel a run for her money.

Branch names Joni Mitchell and Cat Stevens as her influences in song writing and guitar playing but she admits that she doesn’t apply alternative tunings and complex chord progressions that Mitchell and Stevens had been known for in her songs or during performances.

"I don’t really think of them as guitar gods," Branch reveals. "I just love their music and what they do which is writing songs."

Her other favorites include Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Paige.

Branch nevertheless creatively fuses poetic sensitivity ala Mitchell and Stevens (some eyebrows are raised, I know) with catchy pop rhythms that only a 19-year-old like her can come up with. Think of Britney Spears with a higher IQ and enough finger dexterity to churn out a slew of guitar strums and you’ve got Michelle.

"The first song that I learned to play on the guitar was my own," she recalls. "But the first song by someone else that I did on the guitar was a gospel song. I was pretty much into gospel music before everyone went into that genre."

For now, Michelle Branch has not a moment to enjoy the fruits of her labor. She’s scheduled to undertake a rigorous European tour in the following days.

"Everywhere is a song about not really knowing, not really understanding what goes on but you feel inspired," she shares. "Something is out there and it’s everywhere but I’m going for it."

Indeed, she’s everywhere.