Melissa Etheridge

CD Details

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Exploding onto the late 1980s rock scene with this energetic, sensual, and shamelessly personal debut, Melissa Etheridge instantly proved herself a skilled singer-songwriter and thunderstorm of a performer. This radio-friendly rock collection lays out the Etheridge fundamentals. “Bring Me Some Water,” the driven, bluesy plea of an abandoned lover, is easily the strongest cut here. Its infectious rhythmic backdrop perfectly supports Etheridge’s rowdy, passionate vocals to make this sexually charged lament unforgettable. This album also launched the radio favorite “Similar Features” and “Like the Way I Do,” another uptempo, jealousy-laden rocker. Actually, the album is almost overripe with scathing indictments of former lovers, but it also makes it clear that Etheridge is a growing musician. These early efforts are so power-packed that it’s easy to overlook redundancy and focus on all that raw emotion. –Sally Weinbach

Product Description

In 1988, Melissa Etheridge released a strong and passionate debut album which was built during several years of grinding out recognition, one small venue at a time. Etheridge found a rather unique niche and filled a rather huge void in the popular music scene of the late 1980s. Her raw-throated vocals, confessional compositions, and simple yet effective acoustic-built music totally contrasted the flash and fluff which saturated the conventional airwaves and this stunning debut helped clear the path for the seismic shift in the music scene which would occur a few years later.