Melissa Etheridge was born and grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas. Leavenworth is notable for a large Federal prison, but hey, after Etheridge, the town has a freakin' Grammy winner. She attended K-12 in the town, her dad apparently still teaches at the area High School. Further, she doesn't seem to bag on Kansas, even when the reporter tries to bait her in. From my quick research, she's been quoted saying it was lonely in Kansas (it is) and occasionally, the reporters say things like, "Growing up gay in Kansas," not Melissa. That's hard anywhere, it isn't easier to be a gay teen in California than it is in Kansas. Those things are usually just a reporter trying to make something out of nothing, because from I what I can see, Etheridge describes her Kansas upbringing like anyone else would: boring.
I first heard this album shortly after she became a big deal. My mom feel in love with it, playing it all the time and telling me constantly how much she loved Etheridge's voice. At the time, I was growing up in Wisconsin and into heavy metal and the Dead Milkmen. I could have cared less about Etheridge's music, never mind where she was from.
Now-a-days, I still don't care much about Melissa Etheridge's music. For me, it's pretty MOR and I'm not impressed just because she's a girl. She treads on some pretty well-worn territory, throws in a few blues riffs, keeps it folk-y, and occasionally even gets funky. There's just better music out there. She does have a good voice and a flair for dramatics, but eh, I just can't get all that wrapped up in it.
I'm a bigger fan of her being from Kansas and winning Grammy's. That's solid. Further, if her music and popularity lead others (this time I'm all for the girl-power) to create and appreciate music, that's awesome.
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