Customer Reviews

Breakdown: Limited Edition

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I confess that I recently saw Melissa's Chicago Theatre concert. She brought the house down. She treated 4000 fans to a wonderful mix of her old rock favs and her new acoustic style hits. Her new style is much more mature... deeper and more provocative. She can still kick it but she has risen to a new level of mastery. Her singing has lost none of its raw power. But now she demonstrates a deeper level of sensitivity and grace than her other album's.

Her emotion is still right there. "Silent Legacy" from the "Yes I Am" album draws tears from me every time I hear it. Now "Scarecrow" continues her power over my feelings and tear ducts... what a simple but powerful image she evokes through the lyrics and expression of this song. She is awesome.

The other day I bought the guitar tablature to the Breakdown album. I want to point out that this is some very fine guitar work. Melissa's guitar artistry has grown substantially to complement the brilliant John Shanks.

All in all, this is a great work of musical art. No Melissa fan should be without it. And by all means go see her perform these songs live... travel across country if necessary, Melissa has never been better.

This album features Melissa Etheridge and John Shanks together as producers. With Hugh Padgham absent, the sound is a real departure from Yes I Am and Your Little Secret, so you may wonder whether you've adjusted your stereo wrong. Sit tight, you'll get used to it -- it's just a different mix, and not a bad one. Melissa's voice is especially prominent, many times sounding like she's right in front of you (did they do something special to the audio?), and she sounds great.

Melissa definitely mellowed for this album. (Must be motherhood.) There's no amp-blowin' rockers like "I'm the Only One" or "Your Little Secret" and no fast-tempo thrash like "I Really Like You." What she does provide is a rich, constant flow of introspection and emotion. Yes, some of the songs have the same sound, but it's a sound worth revisiting. And yes, many tracks are poppy, but what does that really mean except that they stand on their own? When individually strong tracks form a coherent sequence, you've got a great album.

The multimedia (Mac/PC) portion of the disc is well-designed, providing a song list which will play each song while showing the lyrics, credits, and photograph. (I've seen another reviewer complain that it wouldn't play the music, but it worked just fine on my Mac.) There's also a QuickTime interview with Melissa talking about the album and the making of the "Angels Will Fall" video -- though that video itself is not included on this disc. Also has a link to the excellent Melissa Etheridge Information Network web site.

Incidentally, my kids (one-and-a-half and four) love this album. When the younger one looks up and says "Missa Efwidge!" you know he's asking for Breakdown. The tempo is even enough for us to pick him up and dance all afternoon, and the songs are all good enough (at least) to keep my finger off the "skip" button. Perhaps Melissa did that for the parents in the audience. Many thanks!

PS. Listen for passages influenced by the Beatles and Peter Gabriel. The former, the bridge in "Angels Will Fall," was cut from the radio single, much to its detriment. The latter is "Scarecrow" (especially the bridge) -- an adept appropriation of Gabriel's style, like nothing you've heard before from Melissa.

I have been a diehard Melissa fan since 1989, and I must admit that Melissa truly has outdone herself! The lyrics on some tracks actually brought me to tears, they hit so close to home - as always with Melissa's heartfelt and passionate music. Thank you, Melissa, for touching my life over all of these years with your "truth of the heart"!

It's hard to choose a favorite Melissa Etheridge album. She writes her own music, and tends to wear her heart on her sleeve. She invites you into her world, and captivates you with her voice and her magic. This would be pretty close to my favorite album by her. It's just so raw and unapologetic. It's like she's just putting it out there and saying "Here are my feelings, how you choose to respond is up to you". The album is deeply personal and rooted in emotions. The title track just grabs you with its honesty. "Angels Would Fall" is the album's first single, and it's a great song. The quieter moments on the cd are what grab me more, like the moving ballad "How Would I Know", or "My Lover" and "Sleep". "Enough Of Me" is a no holds barred song that is just moving with it's passion. Other highlights include "Mama I'm Strange", "Scarecrow" and "Stronger Than Me". This is the version to get as it includes some great b-sides, including "Touch and Go", "Beloved" and the uptempo "Cherry Avenue" (another favorite). Great album!

I don't know why so many people want to skip right over this album. It's excellent - her best since "Yes I Am". It returns a bit to her raw rockin' emotionality best found in her first album. Sadly, this album chronicles the "Breakdown" of her relationship with Julie Cypher - which gives you a good idea of the pain very evident in parts of this album. Although Melissa can do ballads, and sometimes do them very well, she's at her strongest when she's pounding out her feelings in good old fashioned rock. There's lots of that here. Get the album - it's well worth it - and better than the later release "Skin".

Melissa Etheridge's 1999 album BREAKDOWN, her first since 1995's YOUR LITTLE SECRET, barely garnered any attention, which is a shame. She turns in a commanding performance on this truly introspective and deep album. If you were lucky you got the limited edition album, which came in a digipak cd case with new artwork and three extra songs along with the other eleven from the original. Lyrically this is one of her strongest efforts, lots of introspective lyrics which just make sense and aren't complicated to understand. She pays homage to the young man who was killed in a violent act of rage on the chilling "Scarecrow", one of the album's highlights. The album had two singles, the upbeat "Angels Would Fall", and the affirming "Enough of Me". Songs like "My Lover" and "Sleep" are very acoustic, and beautiful in their instumentation and lyrics. "How Would I Know" takes a look at a failing relationship, whereas "Stronger Than Me" admits self defeat. One of the catchiest songs on here is "Mama I'm Strange", definately check that one out. The extra tracks include "Touch and Go", a very acoustic like track, "Cherry Avenue", which is quite catchy and would fit well on the normal album, and the inspiring "Beloved". Overall don't leave BREAKDOWN behind, give it a listen!

Good to hear and then purchase melissa's latest album- a singer-song writer holds much more of my interest than any other - she writes compelling words and sings them with conviction...

Beyond the first two tracks, "Breakdown" and "Angels Would Fall", I didn't think much of this album--at first. However, the entire album grew on me the more I listened to it. As said in Amazon's review, there is a sameness of tone in places, but as Etheridge herself edges closer to happiness, her songs (at least her lyrics) become more fascinating. She's one of the few artists today who expresses the complex politics of love so deftly. "Angels Would Fall", "Stronger Than Me" and "Enough Of Me" weave love, devotion, frustration and futility together so seamlessly she makes it look simple.

"Cherry Avenue", "Beloved" and "Touch And Go" are surprisingly good, considering most bonus tracks are "leftovers". The limited edition is definitely worth the extra couple bucks.

The only weak link is, unfortunately, "Scarecrow". Naturally, it's the darkest track on the whole album, but it feels too much like venting. The song isn't really about tribute, it's about pain, frustration and eventual forgiveness, and it doesn't express Etheridge's conflicted emotions nearly as well as the other songs. I know Etheridge's heart was in the right place, but I could only think about how the imagery in this song would probably open old wounds for the Sheppard family.

However, this album is very much worth listening to. Don't be surprised if it takes a few listens to grow on you, though. I can't wait to see Etheridge on tour!

For the avid Melissa E fan, or just a music lover, this cd is awesome! Every song is so heartfelt! Great ballads like she's never done before! This is a must have!

This is a softer CD than some of Melissa Etheridge's previous ones. Themes are about self discovery and love and relationships. The music is excellent, and I love all the songs on this CD.

"Scarecrow" is a tribute to Mathew Shepherd(the young man who was brutally murdered because he was gay), and brings tears to my eyes. There is such pain and love expressed in this song....it's so sad and beautiful.