Melissa Etheridge - The Awakening
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CD Details
Artist: Melissa EtheridgeEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2007-09-25
Music Label: Island
Soundtracks:
- All There Is
- California
- An Unexpected Rain
- Message To Myself
- God Is In The People
- Map Of The Stars
- Threesome
- All We Can Really Do
- I've Loved You Before
- A Simple Love
- Heroes And Friends
- The Kingdom Of Heaven
- Open Your Mind
- The Universe Listened
- Imagine That
- What Happens Tomorrow
Music reviews of The Awakening
Music Review: Ethridge's AWAKENING Is (Mostly) A Somber, Sobering Affair
Rating: 4 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).
Description of The Awakening
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.Folk CDs
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