When Michelle Branch arrived on the music scene in the summer of 2001, she provided a proverbial breath of fresh air to the teen-pop world. While Britney, Christina, and their ilk were certainly getting people's attention with their eye-grabbing videos and catchy but disposable pop confections often concocted by studio wizards or veteran songsmiths, Branch not only wrote her own tunes, but played guitar. Although she was signed to Madonna's Maverick Recording Co., Branch didn't cite the Material Mom as an influence, but rather classic rock acts like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith and singer/songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Lisa Loeb.

It was that down-to-earth quality, and real songs performed by a real musician, that helped make Branch a success. The Spirit Room, her debut album produced by John Shanks (Melissa Etheridge, Chris Isaak), first gained noticed thanks to the hit single "Everywhere," which managed to attract Branch's peers and their parents. The single reached No. 12 on Billboard's Hot 100, but climbed all the way to No. 9 on the magazine's Adult Top 40 chart.

Subsequent hits "All You Wanted" and "Goodbye To You" proved that Branch's success was not fluke. Branch perhaps secured her spot in the pop pantheon by collaborating with Carlos Santana on "The Game Of Love," the first single from his 2002 effort Shaman.

With her fame growing, Branch was nominated, but did not win a Grammy for a best new artist. She did, however, share the gold with for best pop collaboration with vocals for her work with Santana.

After a brief contract dispute with Maverick was resolved, was prepared to issue her follow-up album, Hotel Paper, in June 2003.