Melissa Etheridge has managed a kind of distribution hat trick. Earlier this year, she released 'Lucky', a decidedly upbeat and celebrative batch of songs. Well, after 'Skin', this one looks darn cheery! No one can fault her for the depth of 'Skin', remember that divorce produced Blood on the Tracks... to say the least. Just recently, Melissa has released a compilation CD/DVD of the whole 'Lucky' project live.

I can't say I have ever heard of that technique before, but it certainly speaks to her confidence in the material. Frankly, I am totally thrilled at the idea. We get a 360 degree perspective of the music. Etheridge comes across better in concert than the studio. She has an unbridled charisma, a sexy self confidence, and presence that really comes across live. Did you see when she did the concert for New York? Hers was the finest performance, in spite of her microphone going out halfway through 'Come to my Window'. Perhaps it was because how she handled it. She didn't quit the song, or even panic. She gracefully directed the audience to work the song with her. It was about the coolest thing I have ever seen on live television.

Melissa Etheridge is also a known benefactor to all lovers of great music by having started the Studio C tradition. Back in 1998, Melissa showed up to do promotion for her first tour and album at a Boulder, CO radio station. She was invited to play a song in the studio. She was traveling in her station wagon across the country at the time and had her acoustic in the back. She grabbed it and did a couple of songs off the cuff as part of the radio interview for KBCO. What was born was Studio C, the most influential 'live in the studio' environment in all of rock radio. 16 albums later, and every penny of millions donated to AIDS charity all started from the back of Melissa's humble station wagon. Every single Studio C release has sold out same day.

The CD does justice to her new material, but as you can imagine... it is in the DVD where we get to really get a feel for the experience. Now, these days many CD's are released with rush job DVD's to encourage folks to buy the album instead of downloading it. However, this package feels to me more like a well produced and thought out DVD... with an accompanying CD of the show as well.