Etheridge will release her new album, The Medicine Show, on April 12 via Concord Records. Reunited with celebrated producer John Shanks (Keith Urban, Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson) she sounds as rousing as ever, bringing a new level of artistry to her 15th studio recording.
Etheridge comments, “Calling the album The Medicine Show puts straight up, front and center, that this is about health, wellness, cannabis, this new thought, new paradigm, however you want to talk about it, however you want to understand it. It influences every song on the album. We’re not afraid of this anymore. We’ve come a long way.”
For the recording, Shanks teamed Melissa with drummer Victor Indrizzo, bassist Chris Chaney and keyboardist Max Hart. The sessions were done largely live in studio, capturing the raw emotion of the material, the performances rocking with bold colors.
Since the release of her unforgettable self-titled 1988 debut, Melissa Etheridge’s incredible career to date includes sales of over 25 million albums, 5 platinum and 3 multi-platinum records, 15 GRAMMY Award nominations and 2 wins, a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and an Academy Award for “I Need to Wake Up” from the climate change documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Her last release, MEmphis Rock & Soul, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Blues Chart. Melissa has selflessly dedicated herself as an activist for human rights, LGBTQ issues, breast cancer awareness and alternative medical approaches.