Melissa Etheridge - Yes I Am

Yes I Am is the album that catapulted Melissa Etheridge into superstardom. The 1993 collection's mercilessly driven, bluesy songs--nearly all dripping with sensual lyrics and rousing rhythms--made it the ideal breeding ground for a couple of career-enhancing music videos. The eerily possessive rock ballad "Come to My Window" hit the tube first with a bizarre twofold portrait of Etheridge and her guitar and actress Juliette Lewis having a nervous breakdown. This single brought the album into the public consciousness and was quickly followed by the similarly obsessive, slow-groovin' "I'm the Only One" and the co-dependence-battling "If I Wanted To." But the album's real strength is in the hidden gems untouched by MTV programmers. The slow-building "Silent Legacy," the undulating blues scream "Yes I Am," and the playful, acoustic "Ruins" are what make this album a whole. --Sally Weinbach Amazon.com essential recording

Melissa Etheridge's "Coming-Out" Album Is Also Her Best

YES I AM, released just as Melissa Etheridge was coming out publicly as a lesbian, is also her best album ever. This time, critics on both the East and West coasts raved about the album, and some of the negative reviews it got in the Midwest and the South were from people who disagreed with Etheridge's lifestyle and didn't give the album a good listen. I remember that when I was in a program in Connecticut in the 90s, a few of the more conservative staff tried to help me develop hobbies so that I wouldn't listen to this album, but that's because they seemed to have an issue with anyone who was gay or lesbian, which in eastern Connecticut wasn't widely accepted at the time (though it was tolerated more in Boston, MA; Portland, ME; and Burlington, VT). That's a pity, because this CD is great and expresses a wide variety of human emotion. February 8, 2008

Now I won't have an excuse to visit my son.

This is a powerful album, full of excellent song-writing and singing. I was introduced to it when my son bought it many years ago. When he moved to Utah from Oklahoma, I'd play it every time I visited. (Don't worry, I'll still go visit him, but at least I won't wear out his copy now).

My favorite song is the haunting "Talking to my Angel." I understand how she feels in this song, being raised in the midwest and having somewhat different values than most of my fellow midwesterners. It spoke to my heart. Luckily, I have an angel to talk to and she is my wife.

I laughed when I read some of the reviews. Those few reviews that wanted to criticize this CD because of Ethridge's sexuality seemed like some of those midwesterners to me that couldn't handle it. I can sing everyone of these songs without thinking about her lifestyle.

There were those who didn't like her voice or style of singing. She's a rocker, for goodness sake, don't ask her to sound like Barbara Streisand. The emotions are raw and sometimes so is her voice. But the emotions of her songs, lyrics, and voice shine through.

Play it loud and enjoy. February 2, 2008

Received just as described

product came in plenty of time for Christmas and was just as described. Very good seller... thanks January 19, 2008

Another Powerful Recording

I took my fiance at the time (we are married now) to one of Melissa's concerts. He went to appease me however he found that he could not help but tap his toes, dance around and get into the music even though he knew none of her songs. She is that powerful.

Her lyrics are rousing and lustrous. Her music and innovative style puts her on the cutting edge leaving her fans wanting more. "Yes I Am', Ruins" and "If I Only Wanted To" are just 3 of the songs on this album that I can really relate to.

If you are in the market to add an artist to your collection I would highly recommend this album.
June 2, 2007

What Channel Are You Folks On???

Please read this review if your fire has been doused by the buckets of flame-retardants heaped upon it by the Entertainment Tonight mentalities who've been reviewing it.

First of all, there is NOT ONE word in her poetic lyrics which could possibly infer "gay" or "lesbian" themes. What there IS in this beautiful collection, is an abundance of material that touches upon the fruits of diversity, acceptance, and individuality (tolerance is too weak of a word). The only reason reviewers can even begin to get preachy so far as to call this a "coming out of the closet" album is because they "know" (from their ET shows and from the check-out counter rag-mags that inundated the public with Melissa's "sexuality").

This album is about heart, about truth to ones own nature, about walking your own path, about love and heartache, but most of all this album is about INTEGRITY.

Sure it boasts the sultry pining I'm The Only One, and the love-lorn Come To My Window. But every song on this collection is a poem, beautifully written and scored with a lot of heart. This album is the pinnacle of Melissa's maturation as a songwriter and singer (check out Heart's Dog & Butterfly if you want to know what I mean).

I'm not going to run down each song with a bullet-comment review, just realize that If I Wanted To, Silent Legacy, I Will Never Be The Same, Yes I Am, Resist, and Ruins, are among the very best songs Etheridge ever wrote and performed.

If you are a fan who has not purchased this and are sitting on the docks with her debut album believing it was the best ever because you were blown away when it debuted, pick up Yes I Am and you will be blown to the next level. This album is as much better than her debut self-titled as that one was better than all the pasty female rock artists that saturated us during the 80's.

The acoustics are rendered lighter than air while the electric guitar leads just soar like a stealth bomber. These melodies are both so complex and yet richly simple it's as if Melissa is an artist who painted each song with brush strokes from her heart.

If you are just pondering buying this album because of two songs, you might as well pick up her "greatest hits" album instead because you sound like a Bryan Adams or TP&theHeartbreakers kind of listener to me. If, however, you like the richness of ME's writing style, her brooding vocals, and her gut-wrenching music (if Melissa Etheridge MOVES you) then don't miss out on this album, it's definitely her 5-Star performance!

Once again, Melissa issues a directive on individuality, a cry for acceptance and diversity, not a lecture on sexual preferences. Those reviewers are on the wrong channel watching the unfolding dramas of Brad and Angelina, Tom and Katie, and can't live without trouble in paradise! And if you like artistry in music, something deeper and more meaningful that the pablum of "commercially successful" music, take a big bite of this apple! June 6, 2006

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