Melissa Etheridge

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since Melissa Etheridge broke out onto the scene with her benchmark-setting debut, the self-titled Island release and that includes the unforgettable hit, “Bring Me Some Water.” Since Melissa Etheridge was discovered in 1988, she’s sold more than 25 million records worldwide, and garnered not only public adoration for her uncompromising honesty, but numerous critical awards as well including two Grammys and the prestigious ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award.

After five high-octane powered anthem-filled albums, Melissa breaks it down in her most recent release, Breakdown, getting raw and gritty, showcasing her soul-touching songwriting in simple, unadorned arrangements that get to the heart of her message. This is getting back to the roots of Melissa’s both critical and popular acclaim–her lyrics touch on universal and deeply human concerns of loss, confusion and dread and has a rare knack of transforming them into inspiring messages of love, consciousness and hope.

After the first lengthy break she has taken since the beginning of her career, Melissa returns not only re-energized as a songwriter and performer, but as a mother of two. But if you think contentment in her personal life has led to complacency in her music, guess again.

“I challenged myself on this album,” she explains. “I would not let myself coast. From the writing of the words to the melodies, I challenged myself to be the best I could be.”

From the spiritual hunger and longing of the first single, “Angels Would Fall,” and the unadorned vulnerability of “Breakdown,” to the foreboding and emotional shadows of “Into the Dark,” and the sage “Truth of the Heart,” Etheridge embraces the raw honesty and truth her fans have come to expect.

“I really took my time with this album, and the songs all came from great places,” explains Melissa. “I dug deeper than I ever had before.

” The tight intimate arrangements and adventurous sounds for Melissa are a result of her collaboration with touring guitarist John Shanks, who also co-produced this album. “The sound of the record has a lot to do with John,” explains Melissa. “He really inspired me musically. My goal was to be able to sit down and play each of the songs acoustically, because obviously it was important that the song be there from the beginning. After that we recorded them with three or four instruments, cut the vocals live, and then built on that. This time I did let go a bit on the musical side, though. I trusted the talents of my collaborators.”

In addition to Etheridge’s stalwart touring mates drummer Kenny Aronoff, bassist Mark Browne and of course Shanks, an acclaimed team each with particular talents, were brought in to round out Breakdown’s sound. Melissa’s organic sound includes Patrick Warren, Pino Palladino, Matt Chamberlin, Jon Brion, Steve Ferrone and Wallflowers’ keyboardist Rami Jaffee.