By: Justin Haley

July 2008

A summer tour of epic emotionality is arriving at Toronto's Massey Hall later this month. The ever spiritual and socially aware artist Melissa Etheridge is bringing her 2008 Revival Tour to town. The Juno and Grammy Award winner is hitting stages across North America in support of her ninth studio album, The Awakening. (The metaphorical resonance of the title couldn't be any clearer.)

Etheridge has been quite vocal in explaining that this album is a return to her roots, where she has found an 'awakening' of sorts, in terms of structure and storytelling of her songs. It is an effective mix of Etheridge's most common musical genres: pop, country, rock, and soul. However, The Awakening is an intensely contemplative album and is full of personal tales from her ever-colourful life; from first entering (nervously) into a world of rock stardom, to her well publicized human rights activism in support of lesbian and gay communities, to becoming a parent and then a few years later - a breast cancer survivor, to finally, stories of Etheridge's passion for preserving our environment. (In 2007 Etheridge became an Academy Award winner for "I Need to Wake Up," featured in the Al Gore environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth)

Etheridge is said to be at her creative peak on this album and tour. This surprising statement is due in large part to her bravery and strength in opening up on every subject matter that is relevant to her. Etheridge has banished her insecurities the industry so often induces and leaves nothing unspoken. Whether listening to her album or seeing her live in concert, Etheridge engages in poetic discussions of politics, life, death, disease, and love. Etheridge is a humanist and quite a powerful force of positive energy in this often convoluted 'entertainment community'.

She is worldly, political, yet personal at the same time.

Like so many of us who have experienced Cancer, it seems the disease has been the most prevalent source of inspiration for Etheridge and is truly what triggered this spiritual 'awakening'. Nothing will bring perspective into ones life faster than staring death so directly in the face. "Cancer," she says on her official website, "The huge, big fireball that shoots you through fear. I ended up on the other side of that, and I thought, 'I did it! I went through chemotherapy! Look what I did.' And I didn't go through chemotherapy to not do what I love. So y'all can come with me or not. I'm having a blast. The Awakening as an album is the spiritual side coming open." (melissaetheridge.com)

See Etheridge at Toronto Massey Hall on July 28th.

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