Fearless Love
Encyclopedia
Fearless Love is the 10th studio album by American
rock/pop musician Melissa Etheridge
. The album was released on April 27, 2010 by Island/Def Jam Music Group, produced by John Shanks. Melissa said in an interview the album is "about being fearless. It's about choosing love over fear. It's a way, a philosophy of living life that suits me well." The album was recorded at The Document Room in Malibu, and Hensons Studios in Hollywood, CA. The album features 12 tracks on the standard release and two bonus tracks.
, and co-produced by Melissa Etheridge. In an interview Melissa stated about John Shanks "He and I have a great relationship and I knew he could understand my desire to really get back to the rock and roll roots of myself and my music. He certainly did all that and more."
. Melissa embarked on an extensive promotional tour in support of the album, performing the lead single on QVC
, Oprah
, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
, Dancing With The Stars, The View, Good Morning America
, and Ellen
.
In its first week on the Billboard 200, Fearless Love debuted at No. 7, selling 46,000 copies. Although the number of albums sold was nearly identical to The Awakenings first week, Fearless Love debuted 6 spots higher on the chart. It was her highest charting debut since Your Little Secret
debuted at No. 6 in 1995.
, which assigns a rating to reviews from mainstream critics, Fearless Love holds a "mixed or average reviews" score of 59% based on 6 reviews.
Rolling Stone
gave it 4.5 stars out of 5, calling the album, Melissa's "feistiest disc since her 1988 debut."
The New York Times
praised the, "broad, bruising rock arrangements,"
The Boston Globe
also noted that the rock tracks are the ones when Etheridge's "scarred, emotive croon works its visceral voodoo."
All Music Guide
was less positive, giving the album 2 stars out of 5 and criticizing the "oppressive" production.
NU.nl
states that "despite a strong and promising opening, Fearless Love gets trapped halfway in (...) cliché-filled lyrics against a backdrop of insignificant heartland rock and schmalzy power ballads."
Bonus Tracks
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock/pop musician Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...
. The album was released on April 27, 2010 by Island/Def Jam Music Group, produced by John Shanks. Melissa said in an interview the album is "about being fearless. It's about choosing love over fear. It's a way, a philosophy of living life that suits me well." The album was recorded at The Document Room in Malibu, and Hensons Studios in Hollywood, CA. The album features 12 tracks on the standard release and two bonus tracks.
Production
The album was produced by John ShanksJohn Shanks
John Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
, and co-produced by Melissa Etheridge. In an interview Melissa stated about John Shanks "He and I have a great relationship and I knew he could understand my desire to really get back to the rock and roll roots of myself and my music. He certainly did all that and more."
Chart history
Fearless Love was widely viewed as Melissa's "return to rock" after a more introspective and blues-influenced album in The AwakeningThe Awakening (Melissa Etheridge album)
The Awakening is a 2007 album by rock singer Melissa Etheridge and her ninth studio album. It was released on September 25, 2007. The rock album conveys Etheridge's current autobiographical, religious and political perspectives. Etheridge made the album to convey parts of her story and journey...
. Melissa embarked on an extensive promotional tour in support of the album, performing the lead single on QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
, Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
, Dancing With The Stars, The View, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, and Ellen
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
.
In its first week on the Billboard 200, Fearless Love debuted at No. 7, selling 46,000 copies. Although the number of albums sold was nearly identical to The Awakenings first week, Fearless Love debuted 6 spots higher on the chart. It was her highest charting debut since Your Little Secret
Your Little Secret
Your Little Secret is the fifth album by singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released in 1995. The album contained three singles, "Your Little Secret", "I Want to Come Over", and "Nowhere to Go"...
debuted at No. 6 in 1995.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
7 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 26 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
13 |
| Dutch Album Charts | 28 |
| Greek Album Charts | 18 |
| Swiss Album Charts | 51 |
Critical reception
Fearless Love received some mixed and positive reviews from critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a rating to reviews from mainstream critics, Fearless Love holds a "mixed or average reviews" score of 59% based on 6 reviews.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave it 4.5 stars out of 5, calling the album, Melissa's "feistiest disc since her 1988 debut."
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
praised the, "broad, bruising rock arrangements,"
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
also noted that the rock tracks are the ones when Etheridge's "scarred, emotive croon works its visceral voodoo."
All Music Guide
All Music Guide
Allmusic is a service of music guide, owned by All Media Guide. Allmusic was founded in 1991 by popular-culture archivist Michael Erlewine as a guide for consumers. Its first reference book was published the following year...
was less positive, giving the album 2 stars out of 5 and criticizing the "oppressive" production.
NU.nl
Nu.nl
NU.nl is a Dutch news website. It was founded in 1999 and is since 2007 the most visited news site in the Netherlands. It is owned by Sanoma. Nu is the Dutch word for 'now'....
states that "despite a strong and promising opening, Fearless Love gets trapped halfway in (...) cliché-filled lyrics against a backdrop of insignificant heartland rock and schmalzy power ballads."
Track listing
All songs written by Melissa Etheridge.- "Fearless LoveFearless Love (song)"Fearless Love" is a song by Melissa Etheridge and the first single of her 2010 album Fearless Love.-Background:Etheridge wrote the song after her young daughter suggested the title for her album. Etheridge explained to Spinner the inspiration for the lyric "I was 17, you kissed my lips": "It...
" - 4:28 - "The Wanting of You" - 4:12
- "Company" - 4:53
- "Miss California" - 4:00
- "Drag Me Away" - 4:41
- "Indiana" - 5:28
- "Nervous" - 3:12
- "Heaven on Earth" - 3:47
- "We Are The Ones" - 5:39
- "Only Love" - 5:43
- "To Be Loved" - 5:16
- "Gently We Row" - 5:11
Bonus Tracks
- "The Heart of a Woman" - 5:16
- "Away"- 4:37
Personnel
- Melissa Etheridge: Vocals, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, and mando guitarOctave twelveAn octave twelve is a type of 12-string guitar fitted with a short-scale neck and a small solid body. It is tuned one octave higher than a standard guitar, giving it the tonal range of a mandolin, and enabling a guitarist to achieve a mandolin sound without learning mandolin fingering. The effect... - John ShanksJohn ShanksJohn Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
: Acoustic and electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Victor IndrizzoVictor IndrizzoVictor Indrizzo is an American session musician, primarily known for playing the drums, as well as a songwriter and producer.Indrizzo was born in Freeport, Long Island, New York...
: Drums - Sean HurleySean HurleySean Hurley was an Irish Sinologist who spent the years 1905 to 1915 in China. He was the first known Irishman to hold a Chinese passport.-China:...
: Bass - Jamie MuhoberacJamie MuhoberacJamie Muhoberac is a session keyboardist with numerous credits, including The All-American Rejects, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones , Backstreet Boys, Aly & AJ, Bob Dylan, Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Cornell , My Chemical Romance, Paradise Lost, Girlfriend, Carmen Rizzo and Pet Shop Boys...
: Keyboards - Charles Judge: Additional keyboards and synthsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
on tracks 3-6 - Joss StoneJoss StoneJocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
: Backing vocals - Natasha BedingfieldNatasha BedingfieldNatasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
: Backing vocals - Satnam Ramgotra: TablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
on track 9
- The line "We are the ones we have been waiting for" on track 9 originates from June JordanJune JordanJune Millicent Jordan was a Caribbean American poet, novelist, journalist, biographer, dramatist, teacher and committed activist...
's Poem for South African Women. Copyright 2005 June Jordan Literary Estate Trust.
- Engineered and mixed by Jeff Rothschild