I'll lay my bias out right up front- Melissa Etheridge is the greatest singer/songwriter/performer of our generation. The passion, fire and vulnerability of her music is as real as it gets. That being said, this album is a disappointment for fans who have been with her from the beginning (and before, when she was playing in Long Beach clubs). While not a bad CD, the tracks all sound like songs that didn't quite make the cut for Yes I Am (itself merely an excellent remake of Brave & Crazy). The only truly standout track is "An Unusual Kiss," while the "hit" "I want to Come Over" is a rewrite of "Come to My Window" told from the opposite side of the relationship. "Shriner's Park" blantently lifts it's melody from "Place Your Hand" from the highly underappreciated Never Enough album to the point that it could be the same song with different lyrics. Along with the aforementioned "Kiss" the only other originl sounding track is "This War is Over" which became an incredible jam in concert. While several of the rockers (notably "I Could've Been You") show some of the previous exurberance, the overall feel of this record is one of coasting- for 4 records she had grown and changed, but this one broke no new ground. Despite that, I still like it, but it is the least played of her CDs in my CD player.

I'll start this review by saying I think YOUR LITTLE SECRET is Melissa's best album by far, and I believe it is often overlooked and underrated. That can be expected, after the huge success of YES I AM, but this album is not YES I AM, it stands on it's own, not in YES I AM's shadow. This is one amazing album, I can't even find one song on here that is not excellent. With YOUR LITTLE SECRET, Melissa used her road band in the studio, and the result is excellent. Also working with producer John Stanks and Hugh Padgham. In almost every song on SECRET, there is a guitar solo or an instrumental, this shows how comfortable Melissa is with her band and letting them do their own thing, and the result is some great music. The solo's on songs like This War Is Over, Change, I Could Have Been You, Your Little Secret, etc are nothing short of amazing. In respect this is a very personal album it seems for Melissa. Shriner's Park makes reference to her days growing up in Kansas, and she said it was the most difficult song to complete for the album because she couldn't get it right, but it sounds like she finally did as its an amazing song. Nowhere To Go could also be a song about growing up in Kansas, where there is "nowhere to go" apparantely. Songs like All The Way To Heaven and This War Is Over are touching songs, kind of like quiet storms in a way. Then there are the rockin' songs like the title track which has to be one of her best songs ever, I Want To Come Over (one could argue its the other person in the relationship talking, from Come To My Window). An Unusual Kiss seems to deal with a 3 way affair, or a threesome if you will. There's not enough I can say about this album, that makes me think it is her best. You get a personal feeling when you hear the album, like Melissa is confiding in you, and you can tell how great she gets along with her band, based on the excellent music they make. There is no album like this one, forget what others say about it and just listen, its an amazing album. 5 Stars!

After playing the opening track ("Your Little Secret"), I wondered if Etheridge had perhaps switched from skilled and talented guitarist to three-chord wonder. I was wrong, thankfully. "Your Little Secret" is yet another fine example of the deep, raw power that Etheridge possesses lyrically, musically, and vocally. Her raw emotions are a strong presense on tracks such as "I Could Have Been You," "I Want to Come Over," and "Nowhere to Go," and there is something captivating about this album that I cannot quite define. "Your Little Secret" is definitely worth checking out.

The ballads on this release are hauntingly real. You can just imagine Melissa waiting in her car a la "Shriner's Park" and feel the ache of "Nowhere to Go." The rockingest track of this cd is "Unusual Kiss." Too bad it wasn't released as a single. I think it would've given "Your Little Secret" a bigger jump start. Hope is not lost, though. Maybe the powers that be will recognize this and rerelease it at some point as they did "Like The Way I Do."

YOUR LITTLE SECRET has a special place in my heart as my favorite Melissa Etheridge album. It is often overlooked as the shadow of YES I AM, but I think this is overall a more cohesive and stunning effort than YES I AM. YES I AM broke a lot of ground but I enjoyed the songs more on this one. The energetic title track is a favorite, and instantly grabs the listeners attention. "Nowhere To Go" is a beautiful midtempo rock song, classic Etheridge. The big hit of the album is "I Want To Come Over", which could be the 2nd part to YES I AM's "Come To My Window" from the other person's perspective. There's a quiet reflection on songs like "All The Way To Heaven" and the amazing closer "This War Is Over". She knows how to rock on songs like "An Unusual Kiss" and "I Really Like You". She recalls her childhood on the brilliant "Shriner's Park", and the rocker "I Could Have Been You" is an incredible piece of music full of passion and rage...very relatable. "Change" is a nice reflective song as well. This is my favorite album just because the sentiment is so honest and it's full of passion.