Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled [Deluxe CD/DVD Combo]

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Picking songs for a "Greatest Hits" album is always tough for veteran performers like Melissa Etheridge, and although these are great choices, there are deserving songs that didn't make the cut. Songs that come to mind are "Your Little Secret", "Breathe", "This Moment" and "Nowhere To Go".

Twelve of the tracks are from seven of her eight albums (with nothing from "Skin" making the list), two are covers, one is a Christmas song and the other two are new material.

The two covers are "Refugee", originally by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart", both very well done.

The Christmas song "Christmas in America" is about celebrating Christmas while loved ones are away at war, and the tearful "This is Not Goodbye" was written while she was undergoing chemo and observing the effect it had on her partner.

The other new song "I Run for Life" was written for Ford's "Race for the Cure" project for breast cancer, and is about surviving, living with cancer, and preparing oneself to face the disease.

This album reflects a history of the life of this great performer, and is highly recommended for all Melissa Etheridge fans.


Amanda Richards, November 5, 2005

Melissa Etheridge has always wore her heart on her sleeve. Whether be with her sexuality or her battle with cancer, she has left herself out there for all the world to see. Coming from Kansas, she shares the same meat and potatoes approach to music as fellow Midwestern rockers Bob Seger and John Mellencamp. Her songs have personal lyrics built around arena friendly riffs. Her self-titled debut album still remains her best and the three tracks included her are superb. "Like The Way I Do" is a bluesy rocker that shows Ms. Etheridge's great sense of building tension in a song, "Similar Features" has a slick keyboard riff while "Bring Me Some Water" is her greatest hit and one of the best rock songs from the 80's. The album contains a few new tracks for fans who have all her albums. There is a studio version of "Piece Of My Heart" that is good, but it would have been nice to include her Grammy performance with Joss Stone as that was an uplifting, almost spiritual performance. Her take on Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker's "Refugee" is the best of the new tracks.

Melissa Etheridge is, simply stated, one of the most important female artists of the last two decades. She not only made it as a woman rocking on her own terms, she also put her sexuality on the line and then made her personal battle with cancer into a public crusade. These qualities frame her as a person and are important markers of her integrity.

But more importantly, she has made some brilliant music with at least two five star albums. Both the debut and her breakthrough, "Yes I Am," are must-own records. Naturally, they are the two CD's from which the lion's share of "The Road Less Traveled" is culled; six of the 18 songs here. Add the six songs that are previously unreleased, and that leaves only six songs culled from the rest of Melissa's library.

The diference between this and the previous version is the addition of the Oscar winning "I Need To Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth." The CD booklet is gone to make it more environmentaly friendly and the plastic jewel box is replaced by a recycled paper shell with foam tray. While it changes the packaging, it doesn't change the fact that there are too many ommissions here to make it listener friendly.

This presents a problem. It leaves off such terrific popular favorites and singles. "Dance Without Sleeping," "Your Little Secret," "Breathe" and the entire contents of "Skin" wind up being neglected. That is not to say that "The Road Less Traveled" is a poor collection; it's just that it is not as thorough as it could have been.

As for the new material, it's all good stuff. Melissa's covers of Tom Petty's "Refugee" and (finally!) a studio version of Janis Jopin's "Piece Of My Heart" are, alone, worth the price of the disc. Her anthems of survival "This Is Not Goodbye" and "I Run For Life" are heartfelt and solid. Too bad the collection is a little too tame and not enough crazy. I am sure the inevitable double disc collection will eventually appear, but for now, "The Road Less Traveled" is a less than perfect primer.

It seems only fitting that Melissa Etheridge would be releasing her first career retrospective in the month of October. Was it intentional? By music industry standards, the fall season is the time of year to show off all of their biggest stars, and in the world of rock and roll, they don't come much bigger and better than Etheridge. By asking if releasing this album in October was intentional, I'd say yes for two reasons; 1) the aforementioned hot season for big releases and 2) October is breast cancer awareness month, and for those of you who may be living under a rock, Etheridge is a breast cancer survivor, who finished rigorous chemotherapy earlier this year. Her brave performance of Janis Joplin's "Piece Of My Heart" on the Grammy Awards last February will stand out as one of the finest live performances in television history. Melissa, still bald from her final chemo treatment, set the stage on fire and opened the doors for many other women suffering from this dreaded disease, and showed that bald can be beautiful. Why does it always take a celebrity to make us feel good or bad about ourselves? I suppose it's the world we live in today, and pop culture rules. But whether or not Etheridge intended to send a message, she did, and there are millions of women and men waiting in line to thank her.

Melissa Etheridge was born in the heart of the Midwest (Leavenworth, Kansas) on May 29, 1961. About the time Janis Joplin was catching fire, Etheridge was just entering grammar school. After Joplin's untimely death at age 27 in 1970, it wasn't long before Etheridge had contracted Joplin fever. To her, and millions of others, Janis Joplin's music was extremely infectious. Joplin's music hit Melissa in the gut, as well as her heart and soul. There had never been another like Joplin, and for those who make the comparisons between Joplin and Etheridge, she takes that as the highest compliment. After all, if you're going to be compared, why not be compared to the best?

Soon after Etheridge graduated high school in 1979, she made her way out to Los Angeles to realize her musical dreams. In 1982, she was discovered by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell while performing at a club in Long Beach, California, and he immediately heard what we all heard by the time Etheridge released her debut album a few years later - a star had been born. Janis Joplin comparisons were running rampant, but to Etheridge, it didn't matter. Sure, she had the same gutsy rasp to her roll, but she also had one thing that Joplin always seemed to lack, and that was confidence. Thank goodness, Etheridge's strong survival skills were already intact. She proved she could overcome the comparisons and make her music her own, and her survival skills were never needed more than when she discovered she had breast cancer a couple of years ago. The Grammy performance was a testament to all that was part of her physical make-up.

On October 4, Melissa Etheridge released Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled. In the 17-track set, there were a dozen fan favorites along with five brand new songs. The only surprising omission to the set was the song "Breathe." It was not only a rock station staple, it was also a fan favorite. Etheridge commented on the album's tracks and the reasons for her selections by saying "It's hard to perceive your own hits because you don't experience them as a radio listener. To me it's clear what Springsteen's hits are, what Aerosmith's are. But my own? I don't know."

This collection is superb. From the Tom Petty opener "Refugee," Etheridge's raw and raucous delivery is still as prevalent as it was two decades ago. Etheridge explains her choice for this track, "I decided to cover `Refugee' because I wanted a song that spoke to my heart, my mind and my soul, a song about where I was at, something I could share with an audience that I knew could relate to, something that was recognizable but I could make my own. Considering what I've experienced recently, I think `Refugee' speaks to it perfectly."

The album then takes us down a familiar and chronological road of Etheridge's releases, beginning with her 1988 self-titled debut album. The first single of Melissa's to make the Billboard charts, in the spring of 1989, was "Similar Features." At first, the single stalled, but after the success of her second single "Bring Me Some Water," "Similar Features" was re-released and the album became a huge hit that sold more than four million copies. The other single released and that appears on this compilation is "Like The Way I Do." Etheridge has a soft spot in her heart for this single. She explains, "I wrote `Like The Way I Do' in the mid-80's, a couple of years before my first album came out. It was my show-closer even when I was playing the bars. I have to play `Like The Way I Do' last or everything will pale following it. I play that, `Piece Of My Heart' and `Meet Me In The Back', those three songs were the last thirty minutes of my set in the women's bars in Long Beach and Pasadena. It was also the first original song that someone requested. Usually I would hear someone in the audience say `Play that Stevie Nicks song,' or `Play that Bruce Springsteen song.' That reaction gave me hope that if I ever got a record deal, maybe someone would want to hear my songs."

Other familiar tracks on this collection include, "No Souvenirs," Ain't It Heavy," the mesmerizing tracks "I'm The Only One," "Come To My Window" and "If I Wanted To" from the brilliant 1993 album Yes I Am. In 1995, Etheridge released Your Little Secret which spawned the phenomenal single "I Want To Come Over." This single crossed over many charts to become not only a fan favorite, but a radio-friendly single everybody seemed to relate to in one way or another. Etheridge explains the track, "I wrote the song while I was on tour. I wanted a song where the chorus just hit you right away and the verse was really low, I went back to a memory of a clandestine relationship and the buzz that one gets from it."

Following the success of the previous self-penned tracks, Etheridge decided to try something new and different. The result was 1999's "Angels Would Fall" from the album Breakdown. Etheridge talks about the difference of collaborating with someone new. "This song was one of my first collaborations with John Shanks. He brought me a piece of music and I wrote the melody and lyrics over it. We've done that a few times now, but `Angels Would Fall' was the first. It was so nice to break out of my routine."

"Lucky" was on Melissa's eighth CD of the same name. "The song never got much airplay, but when I play it live, it does something to the audience. They can feel my happiness when I play that song. And they know the ache of it. It describes where I'm at right now more than any other song." With lyrics such as "I want to drive to the edge and into the sea, I just want to live shockingly," it definitely explains Etheridge's battle with breast cancer as well as her loving relationship with partner Tammy Lynn Michaels.

The remainder of the CD leaves us with four new stunning tracks, "Christmas In America," the aforementioned mind-blowing "Piece Of My Heart" which Etheridge comments "It's a magical song. You play that song and people go nuts." That's an understatement! "This Is Not Goodbye" is a poignant song that was written after Etheridge's cancer experience. You can feel the sadness and the determination in the moving lyrics and haunting melody. The final track, "I Run For My Life" was a song that was written specifically for the Ford Motor Company's "Race For The Cure" campaign to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer charities. Melissa's answer to the final track is "We are all running for answers and to make the situation better."

Whether or not Melissa Etheridge's battle with breast cancer has made her life better is only known to her and those closest to her. According to these latest songs and her recent statements, it all appears that she will cherish every bit of her wonderful life as a performer, a mother and loving partner. The fact that she's opened her heart and soul to others is reason enough to praise Melissa Etheridge for all of the joy she has brought to her fans, and at 44 years old, to a whole new generation.

She sums up the album by commenting "I always thought it was something to aspire to, where you got to a point in your career where you could have a greatest hits album, you did something right." Believe me, Melissa, you've done something very, very right. As a longtime fan, I thank you.

As much as I appreciate the fact that Melissa has finally brought out a Greatest Hits CD, I ask myself...hmmm....Where are they (the hits, that is)? There is not a single song from "Skin". How is this possible? Dance with Sleeping, Nowhere To Go, Your Little Secret, Ruins, The Weakness in Me and I Want To Be In Love...I could go on but then only hardcore fans would understand.

I am extremely happy for the studio version of the Janis Joplin song and she tears it up as usual. Why some albums were more popular than others is beyond me but this woman has more talent in her eyelash than some of these so-called artists of today.

Overall, the GH is good, but "Yes I Am" will forever be my favorite Album by her. I recommend anyone interested in discovering the magic of Melissa to try this album first. You can't go wrong.

Melissa Etheridge is, simply stated, one of the most important female artists of the last two decades. She not only made it as a woman rocking on her own terms, she also put her sexuality on the line and then made her personal battle with cancer into a public crusade. These qualities frame her as a person and are important markers of her integrity.

But more importantly, she has made some brilliant music with at least two five star albums. Both the debut and her breakthrough, "Yes I Am," are must-own records. Naturally, they are the two CD's from which the lion's share of "The Road Less Traveled" is culled; six of the 17 songs here. Add the five songs that are previously unreleased, and that leaves only six songs culled from the rest of Melissa's library.

This presents a problem. It leaves off such terrific popular favorites and singles like "Dance Without Sleeping," "Your Little Secret," "Breathe" and the entire contents of "Skin" wind up being neglected. That is not to say that "The Road Less Traveled" is a poor collection; it's just that it is not as thorough as it could have been.

As for the new material, it's all good stuff. Melissa's covers of Tom Petty's "Refugee" and (finally!) a studio version of Janis Jopin's "Piece Of My Heart" are, alone, worth the price of the disc. Her anthems of survival "This Is Not Goodbye" and "I Run For Life" are heartfelt and solid. Too bad the collection is a little too tame and not enough crazy. I am sure the inevitable double disc collection will eventually appear, but for now, "The Road Less Traveled" is a less than perfect primer.

This is a much-anticipated release for some. For others maybe it's a chance to sample just a few of the MANY songs that MLE fans already know and love. We all have our favorite songs, by any artist. For me, almost any song by MLE is a favorite. CD space is, of course, limited. While maybe this collection may not include some of YOUR MLE favorite songs, it is still a fantastic sampling of a career spanning 17 years, and still in it's prime.

If you want to know why certain songs were chosen on this album (like "Similar Features" or "Christmas in America"), and why other songs were not included (why is there nothing from MLE's "Skin" album?), than I recommend you purchase the CD/DVD combo. There's over an hour of interview footage with MLE on the DVD where she details the background of each song, and why she chose to include or exclude them on her Greatest Hits release. The interviews also explain why she chose to include several formerly unreleased songs including: "Refugee", "This is Not Goodbye", her fantastic cover of "Piece of My Heart" (which is a studio version of the tribute to Janis Joplin that she performed at the 2005 Grammy's), and "I Run for Life", a truly spectacular anthem written to help raise money for Breast Cancer Research.

MLE always puts her heart and soul into everything that she does. This Greatest Hits album is no different. If you're a fan, you're going to buy it because you already love her music. If you want a sampling, it's perfect, and will likely leave you wanting more.

Here are some of my favorites songs that I'd recommend in addition to those found on "The Road Less Traveled": "Silent Legacy", "Nowhere to Go", "All the Way to Heaven", "I Want to Be in Love", "The Weakness in Me", "Kiss Me", "Stronger Than Me", "Enough of Me", "You Used to Love to Dance", and all the others...

Enjoy!

There are very few female singers that seem to show that their words come from the heart. While more of the artists are about the outside image like Jessica Simpson, Beyonce', and Kelly Clarkson, there are much fewer singer/songwriters that still sing with feeling and compassion. Melissa Etheridge is one of those who still has the drive and has definitely shown it the past few years. She had struggled and defeated her battle with breast cancer, and reclaimed herself as a defiant, down to Earth female performer. Her hits record which was released a few years ago, showed that she was good, but it didn't completely showcase her career definitively. Now that it has been re-issued, has it gotten any better?

Melissa Etheridge's 2007 re-released Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled, spans her near 20 year career with 18 tracks that are bold, and defiant to her voice. The songs here have all been remastered nicely, and sound better than they were released a few years ago. Although not much has changed on this record as before. The album still includes a lot of great tracks including I Want To Come Over, Come To My Window, I Am The Only One, and Ain't It Heavy. The album also includes her adult contemporary hit I Run For Life, and a cover of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Refugee. The only new addition in this reissuing is I Need To Wake Up, her Oscar-winning song from the Al Gore documentary, An Inconvient Truth. The song is very bold and speaks a clear message to life around us, and fits nicely in the package. Nevertheless, the album still overlooks a few great tracks like it did before such as Breathe, Your Little Secret, and her soulful song I Wanna Be In Love from her
album Skin.

Still, despte the record overlooking a few songs, Melissa Etheridge's Greatest Hits: The Road Less traveled isn't a bad record worth listening too, for anybody who doesn't own a Melissa Etheridge album. It is a little better than it was before. I still love listening to her music, and I hope she comes back with a new record soon. Even with all the stuff that is going on, many of us are still coming to her window for great music.

Album Cover: B

Songs: C+

Price: B

Remastering: B+

Overall: B-

Melissa Etheridge is an artist I have enjoying listening to and getting to know over the years. She is very out there with her personal life and I admire her for that. It doesn't hurt that the girl can rock! Initially I bought the original version of this collection. I thought it was long overdue for a compilation of her hits up to now. Initially I was disapointed with it. Only 12 hits and then 5 unreleased/new songs. I still feel that some songs should be represented here. Notically absent are "Breathe" , "Your Little Secret", "All American Girl", "Nowhere To Go", "I Will Never Be The Same", etc. She could have easily done a 2 CD greatest hits collection. Either way, it is what it is. The Deluxe Edition is definately worth shelling out extra cash for. You get an intimate interview with Melissa where she explains her choice for including the songs she did, and why others were not included. The interview is very enjoyable to watch with clips of concert footage and stories behind the songs. None of the songs from her SKIN album were included she said because it was a really personal album for her. The unreleased and new tracks are stunning. The DVD also includes a lot of music videos and live performances. My favorite is the video for "I Want To Come Over" which includes a cameo by Gweneth Paltrow. A must have for true fans!

All in all, this is a nice little collection. However, I would not have labeled it 'Greatest Hits'. Melissa most certainly has an equal number of hits that haven't made it into this collection. A 'Greates Hits' collection for her could easily have been a 2-disc set!
'Your Little Secret', 'Chrome Plated Heart','Yes I Am','Lover Please','Heal Me','Keep It Precious','Dance Without Sleeping', and the ever elusive live at the grammy's 'Son of A Preacher Man' would have given a good start to the second disc. (Does anyone know where I can get a copy of her rendition of 'Son Of A Preacher Man?).
This is an OK start, but please don't even think this is her greatest hits.
This passionate singer/songwriter deserves much better treatment than what she recieved here. Her 'Yes I Am' CD alone spawned about 5 hits! Her style is definitely commercial, but her lyrics reach deep into one's heart with words and phrases that will live a long time.
I daresay that the method of choosing what went onto this cd is beyond me.Maybe what were most commercially successful. But, do yourself a favor and just buy her cd's individually... she is truly worth the money!