Melissa Etheridge |
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Released: May 2, 1988 Peak: 22 US, -- UK, -- CN, 3 AU Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, -- UK, 2.94 world (includes US and UK) Genre: mainstream rock |
Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.
All songs written by Melissa Etheridge. Total Running Time: 45:59 |
Rating:  4.015 out of 5.00 (average of 19 ratings)
Quotable: “One of the most stunning debut albums of the 1980s.” – Vik Iyengar, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: “This was one of the most stunning debut albums of the 1980s.” AMG It was “a strong and passionate…album…built during several years of grinding out recognition, one small venue at a time.” CR “Given the domination of synthesizer pop on the radio, Melissa Etheridge was a breath of fresh air.” AMG “Her raw-throated vocals, confessional compositions, and simple yet effective acoustic-built music totally contrasted the flash and fluff which saturated the conventional airwaves.” CR Her “roots rock album sung with a sensitive bravado often compared to Janis Joplin. Although the passionate vocal deliveries are similar, the comparisons end there: Etheridge is a Midwesterner who was clearly influenced by classic rock artists such as Bruce Springsteen and John Cougar Mellencamp.” AMG “The main theme explored is the emotional complexity of relationships, and throughout the album she sings about the hunger for affection, the pain of unrequited love, and the fire of obsessive romance.” AMG While there may be “little thematical variation on Melissa Etheridge, it is a very even album which delivers potent tracks throughout.” CR “The album is full of infectious, up-tempo songs that propel the album forward. Etheridge’s true talent, however, is reconciling uncontrollable emotions such as jealousy with a strong and fiercely independent spirit.” AMG Similar Features “kicks off with measured bass notes before moving into a moderate arrangement led by Etheridge’s acoustic and the subtle electric guitar phrases by Johnny Lee Schell.” CR Chrome Plated Heart “arrives with a boogie-blues rhythm held together by the kick drum of Craig Krampf along with a slight riff by Schell. Here Etheridge really shines through vocally with biting lyrics: ‘I got a two-dollar stare, Midas in my touch and Delilah in my hair / I got bad intentions on the soles of my shoes with this red hot fever and these chromium blues.’” CR Like the Way I Do is “a production masterpiece…[with] a consistently strummed acoustic accented by a sharp, double-beat rhythm by bassist Kevin McCormick during the verse. The song uses an ingenious, minimalist approach.” CR It “is a good example of…Etheridge’s early material with dramatic vocals telling a story of heartbreak and longing bordering on obsession.” CR Precious Pain “is a softer, rolky acoustic tune musically, albeit the lyrics are just as sharp as anywhere else.” CR The Late September Dogs, Occasionally, and Watching You all use minimalist arrangements with ‘Occasionally’ taking this to the extreme with Etheridge’s vocals accompanied only by a slight percussive thumping of the acoustic guitar body.” CR Bring Me Some Water “captures the overall angst of the album” CR with “the main theme of hunger for affection and pain of unrequited love.” CR She delivers the vocal with a passion that channels Tina Turner. It was enough to get the song nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, ironically losing to Tina Turner. With its “thumping rhythm and bit of funky bass” I Want You is a “fine tune of unbridled desire to complete the album.” CR “Etheridge became a role model for a generation of young women who found her to be an uncompromising artist unafraid to expose (and celebrate) her strengths and weaknesses. This is a fine introduction to Melissa Etheridge, and it is one of her most enjoyable albums.” AMG Notes: A 2003 deluxe edition adds a second disc of the entire album recorded live at the Roxy in Los Angeles in 1988 and another five acoustic performances. |
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First posted 3/13/2008; last updated 8/25/2021. |
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