Eighteen-year-old Arizonan Michelle Branch, who made her L.A. headlining debut at the Roxy on Friday, represents the latest twist on record labels' approach to marketing music to young folks. It's all about promoting "real" artists who write their own stuff and therefore (supposedly) speak authentically to their audiences, rather than simply mouthing the words of songwriting committees a la the teen-poppers who have been quite successful, though artistically bereft.
Yet it would seem that even an artist who cites rebels Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin as influences must take the tried-and-true teen-scene route of being pushed to MTV's "Total Request Live," having songs on TV shows and doing that Internet viral-marketing thing. Even Branch's 2001 debut album, "The Spirit Room" (written mostly by her, with some help from producer John Shanks and others), has more of a slick modern-pop sheen than the stripped-down feel of a girl and her guitar.
