Melissa Ferrick
(Right On)
Anyone looking for some reprieve from the Liz Phair pop implosion can make it down to Luther's Blues, 1401 University Ave., tonight where Melissa Ferrick will bring her acoustic set and legitimate indie performance to the stage in support of her recent album, .
With , Ferrick manages to mediate between the rock 'n' roll woman typified by Janis Joplin and the uncompromising, firecracker feminist Ani DiFranco. The few faults it has with mediocre choruses and weak bass lines are easily overshadowed by Ferrick's energy and emotion. Ferrick seems to lose herself within her riffs and releases every word without restraint.
The standout tracks, \Shatter Me"" and ""Thinking,"" provide the extremes of the album and indicate that everything between the two is certainly superb. ""Shatter Me"" has Ferrick ripping through three minutes of assertion with flying fingers and tangible intensity. On the album's closing track, ""Thinking,"" Ferrick is self-deprecating in the most humble way as she sings, ""Part of me / Is still holding on to you / Because part of me / Likes to feel defeat.""
is a strong indication that the female singer-songwriter has not turned into some smug pop star refusing to apologize for a lame album. Ferrick forgoes the easy and glamorous route that Phair took and creates something worth listening to.
