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''The Trouble with Fever'' is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter
Michelle Branch Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums: ''The Spirit Room'' and '' Hotel Paper.'' She won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Co ...
. It was co-produced by
Patrick Carney Patrick James Carney (born April 15, 1980) is an American musician and producer best known as the drummer of the Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. Early life Carney's father, Jim, is a retired reporter for the '' Akron Beacon Journ ...
of
The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...
and written solely by Branch. The album was released on September 16, 2022, through Audio Eagle/
Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Non ...
and
Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. The album's lead single, " I'm a Man", was released on July 15, 2022. In support of the album, Branch embarked on The Trouble With Fever Tour, which commenced on September 15, 2022, with special guest
Bad Bad Hats Bad Bad Hats is an indie pop band formed in 2012 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is composed of Kerry Alexander (born July 1990), Chris Hoge, and Connor Davison. The band is named after a trouble-making character in ''Madeline''. The band has toured ...
and
Katelyn Tarver Katelyn Tarver (born November 2, 1989) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She has independently released four EP's since 2011, most notably ''Tired Eyes'' in 2017.
.


Background

During the 2020 pandemic lockdown, Branch found herself in the studio with Patrick Carney. In a press release she said "I didn’t realize I was making a record at first — it was more just for our own sanity, getting time together to play music and screw around in the studio." Branch told
Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
that due to the pandemic the writing process was very different. It was the first time she has wrote by herself in a long time. "I love collaborating with people, and had gotten in the flow of doing that ever since my Nashville days with
The Wreckers The Wreckers were an American country music duo formed in 2005 by Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, both of whom had solo recordings before the duo's foundation. In 2006, the duo released its debut album '' Stand Still, Look Pretty'', which produ ...
, being a part of a songwriting community. And this was the first time that I was like, "Okay, I’m writing songs by myself." And it was nice to use that muscle again, and force myself to finish things on my own." During the writing process for the album Branch found inspiration in a lyric book by David Berman from the
Silver Jews Silver Jews were an American indie rock band from New York City, formed in 1989 by David Berman alongside Pavement members Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. Berman was the only constant band member. During the last few albums, Cassie Berman ...
. She would sit there, flipping through the pages of that book. "Just the cadence, the way he writes, was really inspiring to me – the way that he’s just so direct."Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
"> During an interview with ''
Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...
'' in September 2021, Branch announced the title for the record for the first time. In the same interview, she mentions that ''The Trouble with Fever'' will have the same vein as '' Hopeless Romantic''. The title explores the consequences of lust in all of its various forms. "It's more about the fever of lust, wanting someone, that first foray where you're falling for someone." The cover art for the album is a photograph that was captured by James Carney in 1970 during his time at
Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...
Beach. Branch found the photo while she was looking for ideas for an album cover. She explains in an
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
post that "it was like this photograph had been plucked straight from my imagination. It was evocative and moody. You could feel the stifling summer heat radiating through it."


Promotion and release

On July 12, 2022, Branch announced on social media that the first single from the upcoming album will be titled "I'm a Man" and that it would be released July 15. The song is a protest song that started as an empathetic view towards men struggling to find a new way to navigate in a post-‘Me Too’ world of toxic masculinity. A few hours prior to the release, she revealed the artwork for the album. A second single, "Not My Lover", was released on September 15, 2022. She performed it live for the first time on the Tamron Hall Show.


Critical reception

In a positive review from ''That Music Magazine'', Noelle Simeon wrote that "Branch can go deep into her feelings. Having complete creative control, ''Fever'' is a labor of love, and she allows herself to capture the mood of each song." Closing out the review, "Michelle Branch is a true musician's musician, and ''The Trouble with Fever'' enraptures all of her talents beautifully." Pete Tosiello of ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' was more critical, writing that "the album isn’t bold enough to commit in any one direction, offsetting whispery synth-pop with saccharine country ballads. Still, the most glaring structural defects are overarching. The dressed-up guitars range from staticky to syrupy; the arrangements meander into melodramatic bridges", continuing by calling the instrumentation "bewildering" and the record a "mishmash" overall. Jenessa Williams, writing for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', commented that the album "shouldn’t be consumed as scandal. Instead, it should be taken for what it is: a solid country-pop record. It’s a celebration of endings: a fortifying, bridging album that guides its author towards, hopefully, happier times." Ben Hogwood of ''
musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
'' concurred, writing that ''The Trouble with Fever'' "plots a relatively safe musical course amid turbulent personal life events".


Track listing

All tracks co-produced by
Michelle Branch Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums: ''The Spirit Room'' and '' Hotel Paper.'' She won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Co ...
and
Patrick Carney Patrick James Carney (born April 15, 1980) is an American musician and producer best known as the drummer of the Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. Early life Carney's father, Jim, is a retired reporter for the '' Akron Beacon Journ ...
except where noted.


Charts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trouble with Fever 2022 albums Michelle Branch albums Albums produced by Patrick Carney Nonesuch Records albums