Melissa Etheridge - Skin

During the dark days of the singer's split from Julie Cypher, her companion of 12 years, Melissa Etheridge retreated to her home studio to pen songs lit from within with her searing pain and confusion. From those heart-wrenching sessions comes arguably Etheridge's finest work. She vents and rages and all but spits on her Tony Llama boots, giving these 10 songs a depth and grit that she only hinted at in her prior six albums. And those early albums were plenty gritty. But early tunes such as "Come to My Window," and "Yes I Am" don't approach the naked vulnerability heard here--even though the breakup was hinted at in "Stronger Than Me," on 1999's Breakdown. Skin peels back layers of Etheridge's pain and addresses her personal melodrama in such a compelling way that her despair is transmuted into true art, as she takes the listener through the stages of grief and recovery. And what a journey, beginning with the bristling "Lover Please" ("Didn't I love you right / Then tell me where are you going dressed to kill tonight? / Oh, this one's gonna hurt like hell") and ending with the stirring "Heal Me," which features background vocals by famous pals Laura Dern and Meg Ryan. That's almost all the help she has on the record; Etheridge plays almost all the instruments and penned all the songs. But, ultimately, Skin is the sound of one heart breaking. --Jaan Uhelszki Amazon.com\'s Best of 2001

Love it!

One of my favorite Melissa Etheridge albums. The lyrics rock, the music rocks, the vocal rocks. Buy it...you won't regret it! May 13, 2007

This is an one of the best albums I own.

I like every kind of music from rock to rap to celtic to latin. I own over a thousand cds & this is on the top three list of my all time favorites. Anyone that is hurting after a bad realationship, is depressed, or just wants to be in love, can relate to this album (even if you havn't been through any of these three things, it's still a terrifc cd). I personally can relate to all ten of the songs on it. It would be a mistake for any fan to be without this album or anyone that likes good music for that matter. April 30, 2006

Awesome as always

Some cds you only like a few songs. I have never owned one melissa cd that had even one song I did not like! Way to go Melissa! I hope she is healed from her cancer scare! August 14, 2005

Perfect skin

I do like Lissy, and have quite a few of her albums, but when I think about it I think I like her more for what she is (ie when I was 19, the fact she was an out lesbian rocker was enough) than her actual output. Prior to this one, only her debut would I put on and listen to all the way through, though many of her other albums do have fantastic standout tracks.

Having said that, Skin is one of the most completely accomplished albums in my collection (and I have a few!). It runs the gamut of human emotion (well, to do with love) and encompasses variation in musical terms. It's all rock, but there are ballads, pure rockers, folk and even a bit of electronica sneaks on The Different, my fave track from the album.

Her naive lyrics are charming and "in front of total strangers won't you kiss me" on I Want To Be In Love, I think, absolutely sums up a gay person falling in love in one succinct line, like I have heard nowhere else, ever. (Please don't take that as any kind of gay versus straight comment, it's just straight people kissing in front of strangers doesn't really compare to gay people doing it.)

If you're thinking of buying a Lissy and don't know where to start, there's no better place than here. Skin really is an awesome, adult, heart-felt album that will not leave your 'regularly played' selection for years. I bought it on special after the fact and I almost want to send her a cheque for the difference. It's that good.

(Almost, obviously. I'm not a fool.) March 11, 2005

Real, Really Honest, Really Really Raw

I have listened to "Skin" more than often enough; and I find this is a perfect album to play when you're the most depressed; considering the circumstances of Julie Cypher leaving. "Please Forgive Me" personally rips me apart; perfectly detailed to the bone and I can almost feel her emotions on her lips, "It's been so long since I've touched/So long since I've wanted/and you made me laugh/and my heart opened..." and "It's Only Me" shows her at her lowest point, "Maybe you can just pretend/that maybe you can love again/oh babe i know better/it's only me/and wherever you are tonight/the satisfaction you invite/nobody knows better/it's only me." This is one of the few albums that I know by heart every word and every chord. This album is perfect. When a singer goes through trauma, as bad as it hurts, it does bring out beautiful and real music. February 3, 2005

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