Melissa Etherdige - new CD any good?

Has anyone heard her new CD and can comment on it? It's supposedly a return to form after years and years of recording slow, confessional ballads (with diminishing commercial returns, I might add, I've read her record label rejected a version of this album and teamed her with outside songwriters).

I didn't like the new single I heard online, if anything it sounded to me like a slower rewrite of a track from Shania Twain's latest (Only hurts when I breathe), maybe a simple lyrical coincidence, but nothing to make get out and buy the CD, really.

I used to be a fan of hers up to and including her breakthrough album Yes I am, from almost a decade ago, but since then, I only bought two of her follow up efforts as I didn't like the musical direction she took. I recall buying Your little secret, from '95 or so, and being floored by the lack of fully formed songs, as if the album was just being written in the studio with no quality control to speak of (IMHO of course, but it seems critics agree it's her worst album ever); and years later I got Breakdown just because it was released as a limited edition CD (and good marketing it was, with extra tracks, exclusive packaging, etc.) but sadly found it lacking, not hideously bad but not good either, IIRC it was almost completely made up of sad, painful ballads, I heard it a few times and promptly got rid of it.

I wrote her off after that and moved on, but still I'm curious about the new album, as her first few releases all had a number of well written and performed rock tunes, I even recall she was being compared to Bruce Springsteen in the early 90's. Any comments?

 

Breathe is the one outside song on the album, though there are several with co-writers. Thankfully it is unrepresentative of the rest of the album. I don't know Shania's music so I can't tell you if it's the same song or not. If that's what they chose for the first single, though, that's not a good sign.

I've only listened through it once but it sounded pretty good to me, save for Breathe. There are actually happy songs and some more political songs too. My favorites of hers are the debut, Never Enough, and Breakdown; Skin is by far my least favorite, with Your Little Secret next.

It will take a few more listens before I know where I think it fits in, but the first impression is promising.

- Joe

 

Slightly off-topic, but I believe Universal has a Deluxe Edition due of her debut album. I'm guessing it might contain the industry party concert that got her career off the ground.

 

I feel pretty much the same as mrmaloof. It's a good album at 1st play. I liked "Breathe". She's using drum machines which has really turned off fans and I think it's trying make light of the fact the arrangements were on short order. I'm sure she thinks this album is strong, but IMHO, it's still pink in the middle and needed more time.

I don't think I've given it a 'chance', but IMHO, it's good, but the writing is still on the anemic side and could have been better.

The 2CD debut Deluxe is worth getting for the 2nd CD!

 

I've been wondering about that Deluxe Edition. The 2nd CD contents do look enticing. How's the sound on the remastered disc? Hyper-compressed or more normal sounding?

- Joe