Revisiting Hotel Paper as an adult feels incredibly nostalgic after growing up with Michelle Branch’s music in the 2000s. “Are You Happy Now?” and “Breathe” immediately take me back to my teenage years, but listening to the album now, I appreciate the songwriting in a different way. Compared to The Spirit Room, this feels more mature and reflective while still keeping the guitar-driven pop-rock sound that made Michelle so memorable. There’s a bittersweet quality throughout the album that makes it feel like a snapshot of that era. Maybe I’m partly listening through nostalgia, but Hotel Paper still holds up as a genuinely enjoyable album and it reminds me why Michelle Branch was such an important part of the soundtrack to my teenage years.