Personnel: Melissa Etheridge (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, keyboards); John Shanks (acoustic & electric guitars, keyboards); Mark Browne (bass); Dave Beyer (drums, percussion); Kenny Aronoff (drums, percussion).

Recorded at A&M Studios, Los Angeles, California.

Personnel: Melissa Etheridge (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards); John Shanks (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards); Kenny Aronoff (drums).

Recording information: A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Melissa Etheridge was the obvious choice to induct Janis Joplin into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1995. After all, precious few mainstream rock artists of the 1990's revel in the kind of outward emotional turmoil that was Joplin's calling card, but Etheridge is one of those remaining true believers. Her songs have always pinned down unfaithful lovers, declared smoldering but forbidden desires, and stated her heart's trials and tribulations on the wings of rootsy big-rock reminiscent of Springsteen, Adams and Seger, all without the slightest trace of irony. YOUR LITTLE SECRET continues her straightforward ways, at times padding these tales with an electrified six-string crunch.

Without a moment to catch a breath, the opening title-track drops the listener directly into the storm of Etheridge's private life. Fronting a hard-rocking, stripped-down four-piece band, the singer has seldom sounded as convincing as when she insists that her lover "stop playing those eyes" and explodes with wordless vocal growls. Partially abandoning the acoustic guitar-based sound of her previous releases also energizes the driving "I Really Like You," on which she tries to tempt her lover with mangos ("your favorite fruit"), and adds a mean streak to the mid-tempo "Nowhere To Go," a Boss-like journey into a lonely Midwestern heart.

Most of the time, though, YOUR LITTLE SECRET is Etheridge doing what she does best--implanting acoustic-minded, folk-rock songs with filled and unfulfilled physical cravings. Some mask these desires in metaphoric images ("Shriner's Park" and "This War Is Over"), others revel in their seeming candidness ("I Want To Come Over," "Unusual Kiss"), but the passionate delivery that is the singer's inheritance from Joplin is evident throughout.

Q (12/95, p.137) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Etheridge's raw, bluesy brand AOR sounds like Tina Turner sings Bruce Springsteen...it's hard not to punch the air a couple of times and discover the American lurking within..."