Melissa Etheridge (Cancelled)

Released on April 12 via Concord Records, The Medicine Show reunited Etheridge with celebrated producer John Shanks for the album. Sounding as rousing as ever and bringing a new level of artistry to her 15th studio recording, the album deals with universal themes of renewal, reconciliation, reckoning, compassion and, most profoundly, healing.

Through the songs, Etheridge processed the deep fears and hurting she saw in the nation on collective and personal levels; “Shaking” about national anxiety; “Here Comes the Pain,” personalizing the opioid crisis; the unifying “Human Chain” about the hope for healing; and the rocking, anthemic “Love Will Live.” More highlights include the album-closer “Last Hello,” which draws on the incredible strengths and courage shown by the survivors of the Parkland school shootings; and the infectious “Wild and Lonely” and “Faded By Design,” which explore themes of Etheridge’s past through a new perspective.