Michelle Branch ‘Comes and Goes’ Country On Her Own

Michelle Branch, who had country crossover success with the Wreckers, is sticking to country on her upcoming solo release. 'Everything Comes and Goes' is Branch's third solo effort, but it will be her first attempt at breaking onto the country charts alone. Branch tells Billboard that the album sounds like "a really natural progression from the Wreckers" and should be released by the end of the year.

"It's more singer-songwriter than, I would say, country, but I think the term 'country' is all relative now. There's really no room for singer-songwriters anymore at radio, so I think this is a natural step," Branch explains, adding, "It really feels like the right place to be."

While she claims that she would have preferred to work on another Wreckers record, she is releasing what she calls "kind of a breakup album" from both her former management company and from Wreckers partner Jessica Harp.

"She's really just wanting to stand on her own two feet and prove herself on her own and not be that other chick in the Wreckers with Michelle," Branch says of Harp. "That wasn't going to get any better if we kept making records and sweeping it under the rug."

Harp chose to focus on her solo career for the time being, and Branch is following suit. But they haven't closed the Wreckers' doors for good.

"It was sad, but we're both in a great place now, both making solo records," she continues. "It was kind of left open, like maybe we'll come back to it, so we'll see."

The singer-songwriter has also branched out to the culinary arts. Branch will be opening her own bakery in Nashville soon, called Sugar Bar.

"Baking, like music, is a creative release for me and can also be very therapeutic," she blogs on her website. "You can always tell when I am stressed out because suddenly my house gets filled with cookies, cupcakes and pie. It takes my mind off of whatever is wrong in the world."