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Melissa Ferrick
Melissa Ferrick is a Massachusetts native. Since she was first discovered by Atlantic Records (and has since moved on) in the early 90's,
Melissa Ferrick has written and recorded five studio albums, two live albums, began her own record label, and has toured over 75,000 miles across America. Melissa has performed with Bob Dylan, Morrissey, Shawn Colvin and Sarah McLachlan's highly successful Lilith Fair, as well as very successful solo gigs throughout America. Her devoted fans, self proclaimed "Ferrickheads," caravan across the states to catch sold out shows. Her most recent efforts include participation in the "Love of Rock" documentary about female musicians. Her sixth studio effort entitled "Valentine Heartache", will be available commercially on April 17th, 2001.
Review
The first release on Melissa Ferrick’s own label may also be the first album ever released to compete with Napster, where a dodgy tape of the same show started circulating a few weeks after it took place last year. Ferrick’s version is an unedited, better-sounding official bootleg of the show, complete with tune-ups and stage patter (well, not quite unedited: the Napster version of " Everything I Need " has a funny improv section with bits of Jill Sobule’s " I Kissed a Girl " and Melissa Etheridge’s " Come to My Window, " both snipped here for copyright reasons). Her set list at Berklee was less freewheeling than at most of her smaller shows: all 11 songs from the then-current Freedom album, just one unreleased tune (a good-natured throwaway, " Welcome to My Life " ), and no surprise covers. Still, Ferrick’s songs tend to get scarier, edgier, and more beautiful when she’s in front of a large audience. And she’s more inclined to turn her voice loose: there’s a haunting moment on " Particular Place To Be " where she dispenses with words and begins shrieking in tongues. Performing solo, she plays acoustic guitar like Pete Townshend — in other words, throttling the hell out of it. It’s telling that the one political song here, " Gotta Go Now, " is one of the weaker cuts: she still gets her best material from relationships, and the Freedom songs chronicle a break-up in brave detail. As for the live version of the erotic " Drive, " the little shrieks that go up in the audience say it all.
BY BRETT MILANO www.bostonphoenix.com
Valentine Heartache(2001)
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Skinnier, Faster, Live (2001)
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Freedom(2000)
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Everything I Need (1998)
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Melissa Ferrick +1(1997)
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Willing To Wait (1995)
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Massive Blur (1993)
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