Melissa Etheridge’s 17th studio album ‘Rise’ is out now, her first since 2021’s ‘One Way Out’ and one of the most fully realized records of her career. Recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles and produced by Shooter Jennings, the 11-track album moves through rock, Americana, and deeply personal storytelling with the authority of someone who’s been doing this for four decades and still has something to prove.
The album opens with “Bein’ Alive,” featuring Jennings, its music video filmed at Norman’s Rare Guitars in Los Angeles and directed by Etheridge’s wife Linda Wallem. It’s a strong opening statement, the kind of track that establishes tone and doesn’t waste the listener’s time getting there.
The centerpiece of ‘Rise’ is “The Other Side of Blue,” a collaboration with Chris Stapleton. Two artists with distinct voices and shared instincts for emotionally honest songwriting, the pairing earns its place as one of the album’s defining moments.
“Matches” draws a direct line to Etheridge’s origin story, referencing Johnny Cash’s 1970 performance at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth as the moment that first sparked her interest in music. It’s a song that understands where it comes from and builds outward from there.
Etheridge is currently on The Edge Tour in support of the album, with remaining dates running through mid-May across Pennsylvania, New York, and North Carolina. The tour continues the momentum of an album that arrived with real creative force behind it.
‘Rise’ is out now on all platforms.
The Edge Tour, Remaining Dates:
5 May — Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead, Munhall, PA
6 May — Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy, NY
8 May — Hershey Theatre, Hershey, PA
9 May — Weldon Mills Theatre, Roanoke Rapids, NC
‘Rise’ Track Listing:
- Bein’ Alive
- Matches
- Rise
- Don’t You Want A Woman
- Other Side Of Blue
- If You Ever Leave Me
- Davina
- To Be A Woman
- Tomboy
- Call You
- More Love