Listening to The Spirit Room again as an adult hits differently when you grew up listening to Michelle Branch during the 2000s. This album immediately takes me back to being a teenager and that whole era of pop-rock where guitar-driven songs could still become huge mainstream hits. “Everywhere,” “All You Wanted,” “Goodbye to You,” and “You Get Me” are obviously the songs that bring back the strongest memories, but revisiting the entire album reminded me that there’s more here than just early-2000s nostalgia. Michelle was such a strong songwriter, and there’s something really charming about how honest, youthful and uncomplicated these songs feel. I especially love the guitars throughout the album. There’s a warmth to the production that feels very of its time without making the songs feel dated. Michelle’s voice also has this effortless quality that works perfectly with the emotional but still accessible songwriting. What makes this album special to me now is realizing how much of the music I grew up with actually stayed with me. I might hear these songs differently now than I did as a teenager, but the feeling is still there. The Spirit Room is basically a snapshot of early-2000s adolescence for me — catchy, guitar-driven, emotional without being overly dramatic, and filled with songs that somehow still feel familiar all these years later. Definitely one of those albums that makes you appreciate the music you grew up with a little more.