About The Artist
"This album had to be about the songs," says Melissa Etheridge of her tenth studio album, Fearless Love.

This is typical of Melissa, because putting the songs first is one of the hallmarks of her career. From our introduction to her in 1988, and throughout her illustrious career, Etheridge has never forgotten that it all begins with the songs. She has poured everything into those songs and they have served her well. Those songs--"Bring Me Some Water," "Ain't it Heavy," "I'm the Only One," "Come to My Window," "I Want to Come Over," "Angels Would Fall," "I Run for Life" and "I Need to Wake Up" among them--have rewarded her with five Platinum albums (including the multi-Platinum sets Melissa Etheridge, Your Little Secret and the six-million-selling Yes I Am), a pair of Grammys®, an Oscar®, an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year honor and the ASCAP Founders Award. Easily one of the greatest all-time female rock icons, Melissa Etheridge is also a mother and a cancer survivor. She is an outspoken cultural, political and human rights activist, a thought-provoker and a longtime truth-seeker. With Fearless Love, which comes out April 27th, 2010, on Island Records, she is at the top of her game. In early 2009, Etheridge began to think about her next album. She was thinking about what to write about and it hit her. "Everything is either fear or love," she says. "As I started writing, the working title of the album was Songs of Love and Fear because each song had an ingredient of love and fear, and the battle between the two." The first new song, 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." Also influencing Fearless Love were Melissa's four kids. "I can't help but be influenced now by my children. I said I was thinking of calling the album Songs of Love and Fear and my daughter said, `No mom, that's way too long.' `It has to be about love and fear,' I said, `so how about Fearless?' `That's Taylor Swift's song,' she told me, `what about Fearless Love?' `That's perfect,' I thought. `Now I have to write a song called "Fearless Love."' And so she did, and when the modern rocker with the full-throttle guitar attack became the first single it immediately assaulted the Hot AC and Adult Album Alternative radio charts. 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. "I hadn't done a whole project with him since Breakdown, so I called him up and said, `John, I want a whole album, the way great rock and roll groups used to do it where they would go away, live together and give their time and energy just to the music.'" So Etheridge, Shanks and a new core band--bassist Sean Hurley (Ringo Starr, Josh Groban, Alicia Keys), drummer Victor Indrizzo (Willie Nelson, Five For Fighting, Colbie Caillat) and keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac (Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow)--moved into Malibu, California's Document Room studios where they cut the basic tracks as live as possible. "John gathered these incredible musicians that I had never worked with," Etheridge beams, "and he dedicated himself day and night to this album. I'm extremely proud of how it sounds--Fearless Love was exactly what I intended when I first spoke with him." Fearless Love arrives two and a half years after her autobiographical The Awakening and six years after her battle with breast cancer. At this point, her accomplishments are endless and well-documented. This has allowed Melissa Etheridge to find herself in the enviable position of being able to make exactly the music she hears in her head and feels in her heart. In 2010, that music embodies much of what we've come to anticipate from Etheridge--giant, soaring melodies, her bold, expressive voice, plenty of musical, lyrical and emotional drama--and it also embraces a freshness, with the appearance of mandolin and more piano, and guest vocals from Joss Stone and Natasha Bedingfield. Fearless Love offers pounding rockers and whisper-light ballads, and nods to her musical muses are tastefully sprinkled to and fro. Fearless Love pulls no punches--again, very typical of Melissa Etheridge--as it expands the musical and topical boundaries that she has never stopped redrawing.

Product Description
The single and album were produced by John Shanks, whose first album production was Etheridge's 1999 Breakdown. Since that collaboration he has risen to the top ranks of rock and pop producers with credits including Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette and Bon Jovi, winning the 2005 Producer of the Year Grammy Award. "Fearless Love" spotlights the album's solid rock foundation with the core band of Etheridge on acoustic guitar, Shanks providing imaginative lead guitar, color-filled keyboards from Jamie Muhoberac and the dynamic anchor of bassist Sean Hurley and drummer Victor Indrizzo.

Fearless Love, her triumphant tenth album, expands on the multiple strengths that have made Etheridge one of the most beloved figures in modern rock. It follows her revealing 2007 set The Awakening with a rousing tone at once tough and tender, as only Etheridge can be. It's that force of presence that has earned her, among other accolades, the 2007 Academy Award for best original song ("I Need to Wake Up" from the documentary An Inconvenient Truth) and two Grammy Awards.

1. Fearless Love
2. The Wanting Of You
3. Company
4. Miss California
5. Drag Me Away
6. Indiana
7. Nervous
8. Heaven On Earth
9. We Are The Ones
10. Only Love
11. To Be Loved
12. Gently We Row

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034BW8ZC/?tag=imwan-20

She's never done a bad album. But each time I buy a new one, it gets played once or twice, never to be played again.........

i couldn't have said it better myself.

but when i think about it there are quite a few artists like that for me.

ah, the life of a completist

I read that Ashlee Simpson has something to do with either the writing or production of this cd (which wasn't made clear). There's something about that which strikes me as really pathetic........

John Shanks (Simpsons producer) produced the album. He started his career in Melissas band.

BB's going to have this @ $7.99. Since I have a BB gift card, I'll probably pick it up.

Like many of our favorites, Missy's artistic muse has waned in direct proportion to her efforts as a political activist. She could join a festival tour of 'Artists We Really Used To Care About' which would also include Steve Earle, Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow and Bruce Springsteen.

Interesting how the release of her new album coincides with the breakup of her marriage:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36552959/

Melissa, Tammy Etheridge split after 9 years
Singer and partner are parents to 3-year-old twins

updated 2:16 p.m. ET, Thurs., April 15, 2010

Rocker Melissa Etheridge and her partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels Etheridge, have announced their separation.

In a statement Thursday, they asked for "consideration and respect for our family as we go through this difficult period."

The two held a commitment ceremony in Malibu, Calif., in 2003. Tammy Etheridge, 35, gave birth to twins — a son, Miller, and a daughter, Johnnie Rose — in 2006. The couple used an anonymous donor from a sperm bank.

The 48-year-old singer shares custody of daughter Bailey Jean and son Beckett with former partner Julie Cypher. Musician David Crosby was the sperm donor for the children, who were delivered by Cypher.

Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004.

That's funny, though I really liked Sheryl Crow's last one & Browne's wasn't bad.

FYI, Target has an exclusive version of this CD with two bonus tracks: "The Heart of a Woman" and "Away".

Ouch wish i would have caught that before purchasing from Discorama. Wish Target would have publicized it also!

Though I will say, I played it 2x with a friend in the car a couple weeks back & we both couldn't stop laughing at how whiny some of the lyrics are. I'm sure it was caused by the breakup, but so far it feels like a parody of her debut cd. Maybe a 3rd listen in the future will change my mind.