On September 25th, 2007, Melissa will release her 9th studio album, THE AWAKENING. It has been described as a collection of powerful and playful yet confessional and engaging songs that are personal as well as universal. T... more »HE AWAKENING was co-produced with David Cole and recorded with her band: bassist Mark Browne, drummer Mauricio ?Fritz? Lewak, and guitarist Philip Sayce. Etheridge acknowledges that her 2004 breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment brought new perspective to her life and achievements and freed her to be so open on this album.« less
On September 25th, 2007, Melissa will release her 9th studio album, THE AWAKENING. It has been described as a collection of powerful and playful yet confessional and engaging songs that are personal as well as universal. THE AWAKENING was co-produced with David Cole and recorded with her band: bassist Mark Browne, drummer Mauricio ?Fritz? Lewak, and guitarist Philip Sayce. Etheridge acknowledges that her 2004 breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment brought new perspective to her life and achievements and freed her to be so open on this album.
"These past few months have created a glut of gorgeous music much to the dismay of my credit card. I've vowed--due to space and ecological considerations--to start buying singles instead of whole CDs, but "Awakening" is very much worth having in its entirety. Besides, in this case, the samples are way not enough to get the feel of the entire song.
This isn't easy music to listen to. Melissa Etheridge has learned some hard lessons in her life and
"The Kingdom of Heaven" is probably the hardest to listen to. It's Etheridge's cut-to-the-bone take on the war. So, is "What Happens Tomorrow." There's no 'us' in them.
But what Melissa Etheridge is doing best on "Awakening" is sharing much of the deepest parts of herself--both good advice and hard-fought lessons learned. It takes a lot of guts to do this, but the lady's one of the bravest and strongest in the business.
"An Unexpected Rain" apologizes for her regrets--the lover who tried suicide because of their breakup, the meaningless encounters. It takes a strong person to make those kinds of admissions public in the hopes to make others stronger.
"Heroes and Friends" is the message that you need to continue to dream and try despite pain and failure:
You can't take a trip if you don't first say goodbye
You can't find a star if you don't look in the sky
You can't find the light if you don't know where the dark is
"The Universe Listened" is probably the strongest song (we don't start living til we've almost died). This haunting story song will stay with you for a while.
I could go on writing about this CD for pages, but what it all comes down to is what you feel when you hear the music. Listen, but be prepared to be swept into the songs and possibly shed tears.
"
Melissa's "career" album
C. A. Mennie | 09/27/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Simply the finest work ever from this multi-talented singer/songwriter/musician. There is an ease and depth to the lyrics that is stunning. No didactic preaching, simply one woman telling her story and urging us all to wake up. Ably supported by her band, in particular guitarist Phillip Sayce, Etheridge croons, wails and soothes through an amazing song cycle. Intensely personal yet universal at the same time, this could only have been created by someone who's taken the best and worst life has to offer and come out the other side even stronger."
Best album since "SKIN" --- great improvement over "LUCKY"
Derek Jager | NYC | 10/08/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Melissa has always thrived on the pain and pains of life, and THE AWAKENING gives her much to deal with.
After the disappointing sales and songs on LUCKY, she's made a real effort to step up the pace and we're rewarded with a few gems:
CALIFORNIA with the great/honest refrain "I am ALMOST free..."
AN UNEXPECTED RAIN which deals on the regrets of her early,"sleep around" life
MAP OF THE STARS which is sort of her version of the Eagle's NEW KID IN TOWN
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN and IMAGINE THAT are her responses to the war in Iraq and the current political climate
The most "pop friendly/memorable" songs are MESSAGE TO MYSELF and THREESOME, sure to be concert favorites.
She still struggles with writing hooks and/or memorable melodies so WHAT HAPPENS TOMORROW, THE UNIVERSE LISTENED, OPEN YOUR MIND, HEROES AND FRIENDS, and I'VE LOVED YOU BEFORE all sound about the same.
She has four short tracks GOD IS IN THE PEOPLE, ALL THERE IS, ALL WE CAN REALLY DO and A SIMPLE LOVE which are only a couple minutes each. Nice, but not really "songs."
So you're left with a CD of 16 tracks. Cut the four short songs and you have 12, cut the five "sound alike" songs and you're down to seven tracks and of those seven, you have a couple pop gems and five more low-key songs that hearken back to her early albums.
SKIN remains her "best" and most accessible album with most of the songs having strong hooks and memorable melodies.
Special mention must be made to the guitar playing of Philip Sayce--he really contributes some "stinging" guitar tabs and I wish he was heard more on the album.
Finally, Melissa continues to seek out a spiritual reality in her life, one that began with SKIN. So this CD contains much about her regret over previous "bad behavior" and it's nice to see an artist address where she was and where she wants to be.
She's "not free yet" but at least she's looking."
Concept Album - And That's Okay!
Robin L. McLaughlin | Seattle, Wa. | 12/09/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"From my title you might surmise that I'm not real big on concept albums. I like the concept of concept albums, but in execution I usually end up thinking they're more annoying than anything else. The Awakening is definitely an exception.
I've been a Melissa fan ever since I first saw her riveting performance of "Bring Me Some Water" on the Grammy's when she was up for best new artist. But even though I knew she'd released a new album I hadn't heard anything about it yet. Then I saw The Awakening for sale at the grocery store for $10 and thinking, "Hot damn!" I snatched up a copy. I then did what I usually do with a new CD, stuck it in the CD player in my car and listened to it the next few times I was driving. Don't do that with this album. I kept going, "Huh?" and scrambling for the cover to look at the song list to try and make sense of what was going on, which isn't good when driving! This one you'll want to put on at home, get comfy, and really listen to it uninterrupted.
My initial responses were things like, "Hmmm...'California' has a catchy tune, but it seems kinda like a retread, is this album gonna be a dud?", "What's with all these short little ditties?" and, "Am I losing my mind or are we on a different song now?" So after getting to the end of the album it was clear this wasn't a normal CD and I immediately played it through again with adjusted expectations and a more open mind. (Then after the second listen I finally read the liner notes, which of course helped further.)
After my second listen through I was thinking, "Hey this is pretty good stuff." By my fourth listen I was totally blown away. I especially like "I've Loved You Before" because I dig the whole loving through many lifetimes idea and the lyrics are quite moving. I like that she's mixed up music styles a bit more, with the really nice bluesy guitar on "An Unexpected Rain" and the playful, country flavor of "Threesome". There's also some very nice electric guitar work on several songs. "The Kingdom of Heaven" is probably my second favorite song on the album so far, quite powerful. The ending suite of songs is totally amazing and gets better each time you listen.
The Awakening is a very strong album with several songs that I'd consider to be classic Melissa in style and content, then moving through to the more political and spiritual stuff. Somehow they do all end up going well together and even the short interlude pieces add a little something special. Breakdown and Skin are still hanging on as my two favorite Melissa albums, but The Awakening is making a strong bid for favored status and is arguably her best album to date. Those who have called it brilliant and a masterpiece aren't wrong. The Awakening wouldn't be a good choice for a Melissa neophyte to start with I don't think, but for any fan it should definitely be added to the collection.
I'm finding it interesting that, despite how initially enraptured I was with Melissa's debut album, it's her later albums that are my favorites and the ones I listen to with the most frequency. Most artists for which I have multiple albums it's their early music that first engaged me that remains hard to beat and what I most prefer to listen to. But Melissa has been totally bucking that trend."
Ethridge's AWAKENING Is (Mostly) A Somber, Sobering Affair
Jef Fazekas | Newport Beach, California United States | 12/27/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Much like Carly Simon's 2001 release THE BEDROOM TAPES, THE AWAKENING was an album that Melissa Etheridge HAD to make. Battling back from a bout with breast cancer, Etheridge is understandably changed, seeing life ~ and the world ~ thru a different set of eyes. Sadly, however, those eyes are, for the most part, represented here in only one color, a sort of somber midnight blue. Unlike Cindy Bullens' brilliant 1999 masterpiece, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH, or last year's (for me, anyway!) Album of the Year, Rosanne Cash's stunning BLACK CADILLAC, THE AWAKENING seems stuck in neutral. The two aforementioned albums, which chronicled the vibrant highs and somber lows of life and death, love and loss, covered the full spectrum of the emotional scale, while THE AWAKENING, while certainly honest and sincere, seems to be weighted down by just one or two. Where is more of the primal fear? The joy? The vulnerability? Aside from such tracks as "Message To Myself" and "Threesome", they're limited at best. Mind you, in no way is this a bad album; I just would have liked more from Etheridge, especially since I know she's capable of it. There are definitely some nice moments that add to the overall flow and concept album vibe of the disc, including a number of short spoken and/or sung interludes between songs (Note to Melissa: While this idea works here, don't repeat it....it can quickly wear it's welcome out. Just ask any Janet Jackson fan!), but, overall...! The first actual song is the gently lilting "California." All strumming acoustic guitars and muted percussion, Etheridge delivers the biographical tale in a voice that is strong, yet sincere. Very nice! The biographical slant continues with "An Unexpected Rain", albeit darker and edgier. Etheridge's vocals wrap around the words like a husky musical constrictor, squeezing out the story of someone she met (and quite possibly hurt) on her climb up the fame ladder. Unflinching in her honest ("The fresh scars on your wrist/I can't make it go away"), it's that honesty that keeps you rooting for her, even in her darker, less proud, moments like this one. Things take a 180 degree turn with "Message To Myself", the first of only two really up-beat tracks on the album. However, this isn't just a piece of pop fluff...instead, anchored by a bouyant arrangement, Etheridge comments on where she's been ("Each day I spent in hell/I chose to stay") and where she's at now ("I'm sending out a message to myself/So that when I hear it on the radio/I will know that I am fine"). Not since Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" has there been a song like "Map Of The Stars", one that could have people guessing as to the identity of the starlet mentioned in this tale of Hollywood and it's ups and downs, sacrifices and rewards. A smooth vocal, unadorned instrumentation and pointed lyrics all add up to a real winner (My guess, by the way? Well, let's just say her initials are J.A.!). There's a giddy joyfulness to "Threesome" that's absolutely infectious. Part percussive rocker, part Southern Country boogie, I'm betting one or two of Country music's more adventurous up-and-comers will cover this energetic number about fidelity in the next year or so! I really believe THE AWAKENING would have benefited from more of the humor and care-free attitude found on this track. Another strong cut is the gorgeous "I've Loved You Before." You could look at this as a song about reincarnation, or you could just say love knows no boundaries....whatever the case, Etheridge clearly makes her point, aided by delicate instrumentation, a lovely vocal and poignant lyrics ("When there's no one else that makes me whole/I am never wanting more/I get this feeling/I know I've loved you before"). Definitely one of ME's Top Ten Best....EVER!! "Heroes And Friends" also has a nice acoustic groove to it, along with a wistful message that is both simple and profound in it's universality. Sweet and sincere, this is Etheridge at her most real, naked and honest. It's at this point that things get a little spotty. "The Kingdom Of Heaven" boarders on preachy, while the production on both this cut and the following one ("Open Your Mind") is bloated and over the top. You can have an appreciation for classic rock, but you have to be careful you don't veer into dated arena rock, which happens here, resulting in some moments that are painful at best (Along these lines, I think it's time for Melissa to work with a stronger producer....she's gone as far as she can go co-producing with David Cole). The disc ends with a trilogy of songs, all marked as part of "The Awakening." "The Universe Listened" is the strongest of the three, what with it's hushed vocal, urgent, yet easy, arrangement and thoughtful lyrics, both dark ("I'll pay the price, any price/Just give me the fame") and light-hearted ("I found my angels, found my spirit/Guess I found my soul"), while both "Imagine That" and "What Happens Tomorrow" have some nice moments. Sooo...final thoughts on THE AWAKENING? As I stated earlier, it's definitely an album Melissa Etheridge needed to make at this point in her life. There's an innate honesty to the disc that is undeniable. However, after fighting back from the darkness, I wished Etheridge had used a wider pallet as she described her journey back to the light, along with the new ideas, feelings and thoughts she had once she got there. Here's hoping those subtle greens, rosy reds, shimmering golds and velvety purples are the cornerstone of her next release. After all, there's more to life than just midnight blue. (As with with all my reviews, I'm giving the disc an extra half a star for including the lyrics)."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1
