Michelle Branch has a lot going for herself.

She may be an 18-year-old beauty, but this Arizona native is a bright-eyed fledgling artist on Madonna's Maverick Records and her debut album, The Spirit Room, strives to break the boundaries for teen artists, who these days are passed off as pre-fabricated bubble gum acts.

Branch writes and performs her own music, but hey, you could say the same for 'NSYNC. Unlike her counterparts, Branch and her acoustic guitar melt together on The Spirit Room in songs that are sweetly simple but rich in potential.

The MTV and radio favorite "Everywhere" kicks off the album with Branch's fresh voice backed by her great guitar hook.

It's fun and easy on the ears, as is much of The Spirit Room.

Most importantly, Branch proves you don't have to wear hip-huggers and spend hours on choreography to have a hit song.

"You Get Me" and "All You Wanted" display her talent for mature lyrical and vocal ability. Branch is a little bit of sugar and just enough spice to warrant her a nice mix of the angst of Alanis Morissette and the mainstream-like ability of Natalie Imbruglia.

She lets her inner-rocker come out on "If Only She Knew," where she jams on her guitar while she innocently tries to win over a lost love. She's spunky yet a little vulnerable, and the poor guy would probably be helpless in front of her.

Upbeat sing-along hooks abound on the album, but Branch's overall folk-inspired sound is one that puts her in the category of Jewel rather than Jessica Simpson.

The ballad "Drop In the Ocean" is a stunning and very impressive song for Branch that is vocally very similar to Morrisette's "Uninvited." In this last track on the album, she relies on her rich voice to carry the piece and leaves the listener with a beautiful example of her capabilities as an artist.

The Spirit Room is a solid album from a newcomer, despite a heavy reliance on a boring drum machine that tends to blend the songs together.

Branch just needs to let her honest voice guide her and album sales will follow.