Melissa Etheridge hit the East Coast in 1989 after the release of her self-titled debut and quickly built a reputation for her raw, high-energy rock n' roll shows that were one part Janis Joplin and one part Bruce Springsteen. As I dated women who thought there was music out there other than hardcore and alt-rock, I saw Melissa Etheridge a few times in the late 80's through mid 90's as she moved from club shows to headlining large amphitheaters. I lost touch with what Melissa was doing after the mid-90's but, what I heard in passing of her later-day material, struck me as "adult contemporary" (i.e. pure schmaltz).

Melissa's new album, Fearless Love, which comes out on April 27th, marks a welcome return to her roots-rock sounds of the early 90's. Check out the live video for the title cut and try not to think of Springsteen while watching.



To make Fearless Love, Etheridge invited old friend John Shanks to produce and play guitar. “I like to tell people I discovered John Shanks,” she teases. “He toured as my guitar player on my very first tour and he worked with me from 1993 to 1999.” Shanks’ first production credit came when he co-produced Melissa’s 1999 effort, Breakdown. “ “After that he went on to produce Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette—he’s Mr. Pop guy now. He’s done quite well,” Notes Etheridge. The 2005 Grammy® winner for Producer of the Year has written with and produced an A+ list of stars including Carlos Santana, Celine Dion, Sting, Fleetwood Mac, Bon Jovi, Jewel, Robbie Robertson, Chris Isaak, Stevie Nicks, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson and Rod Stewart.

The first new song [from Fearless Love], a dramatic number called “To be Loved,” came out much darker than the album as a whole. As more songs were written, potential singles began to emerge: “Indiana,” a ballad-cum-monster-of-a-rocker that relates the story of a girl who has overcome a difficult childhood in the Heartland; “The Wanting of You,” a classic Etheridge rocker based on the story of a small-town, Midwestern girl who lives in fear of the life-changing choices she’s made; and “Company,” a mid-tempo rocker that will all undoubtedly amass plenty of airplay in 2010. The big Pete Townshend-inspired power chords in “Company” are an example of Etheridge’s propensity for proudly displaying her influences on Fearless Love; listen carefully and you’ll hear a U2-like guitar line here, a ZZ Top-like lick there, some Led Zeppelin-style rock for all to hear. “I wanted to unabashedly use the influences I’ve had all my life,” Etheridge explains, “I wanted to present them in this album, and honor them and respect them.”

Amazon is taking pre-orders for Fearless Love (click on the photo above) for $7.99 and the first two singles ("Fearless Love" and "The Wanting of You") are currently available on iTunes.

Melissa is playing a limited set of live dates over the next few months:

May 22, 2010 -- KFOG’s KaBoom @ Candlestick Point San Francisco, California
Jun 26, 2010 -- Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park with Stevie Wonder, London
Jun 27, 2010 -- Paradiso, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland
Jun 29, 2010 -- O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
Jun 30, 2010 -- Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin

Links:
Melissa Etheridge