Island
1995
Your Little Secret
About This Album
On her fifth album, Melissa Etheridge mixed her primary musical influences--a lot of Bruce Springsteen, some Led Zeppelin, a little U2--with a set of directed love lyrics--a lot of "you," some "I," a little "they"--that seemed to revolve around a romantic triangle. Etheridge's emotional concerns were specifically same sex-oriented, not so much because she flaunted her lesbianism as because of the way she thought about sex and relationships. Her lyrics were full of references to exchanges of identities between lovers: "I really like you, baby / I want to be you"; "Please let me into your eyes"; and "Spend the night inside of my skin" in a song called, "I Could Have Been You." This lyrical focus was the point of distinction in Etheridge's songs, which otherwise came off as generic Americana rock, full of small-town imagery--jeans, t-shirts, tattoos, Wal-Mart--that she failed to valorize as Springsteen did. The other distinguishing characteristic, as it was in all her albums, was Etheridge's impassioned performing style--she may not have had a lot to say or much craft in saying it, but she wanted you to know she really meant it.
Track List (try tracks 1,3 and 5)

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