Brave and Crazy

Brave and Crazy
Studio album by
Melissa Etheridge
ReleasedSeptember 11, 1989
RecordedJanuary 24–26, March 1 and May 24–26, 1989
StudioA&M Studios (Hollywood, CA)
Devonshire Sound Studios (North Hollywood, CA)
GenreRock
Length44:13
LabelIsland
Producer
Melissa Etheridge chronology
Melissa Etheridge
(1988) 		Brave and Crazy
(1989) 		Never Enough
(1992)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Q[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

Brave and Crazy is the second album by singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released in 1989 (see 1989 in music). As of 2010, the album has sold 632,000 copies in the United States alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[4]

Reception

[edit]

Billboard commented that "though more polished, rocker's sophomore outing never sacrifices passion, emotion, and guts for style. Etheridge remains a one-trick artist - most of her songs are in a similar midtempo rocker guitar style - but her lyrics, delivered with startling conviction, lead her to the head of the class."[5]

In their review, Cashbox stated that "Brave and Crazy documents an artist still stoking the furnace of desire...Alternating between somewhat balladic songs and fierce rockers, the album does not suffer the dreaded sophomore slump, but it does convey the suffering born of the blues...While much is said of Etheridge’s vocal instrument, her prowess as a 12-string ace is a large part of why her compositions succeed as well as they do."[6]

Allmusic noted that "the throaty singer/guitarist/composer is slightly more reflective than on her first release, but no less confident. Nor is she is any less rootsy. Etheridge's earthiness is a large part of her appeal, and she uses it most advantageously...As introspective as things get on this CD, Etheridge never becomes wimpy or self-pitying. For all its vulnerability, Brave and Crazy is the work of someone who comes across as a survivor."[1]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks written by Melissa Etheridge, except where noted.

  1. "No Souvenirs" – 4:33
  2. "Brave and Crazy" – 4:37
  3. "You Used to Love to Dance" – 5:33
  4. "The Angels" – 4:38
  5. "You Can Sleep While I Drive" – 3:14
  6. "Testify" (Etheridge, Kevin McCormick) – 4:28
  7. "Let Me Go" – 3:56
  8. "My Back Door" – 4:24
  9. "Skin Deep" – 3:10
  10. "Royal Station 4/16" – 7:08

Note

  • The album lists the running time of two songs incorrectly: "You Used to Love to Dance" actually runs 5:33 (not 4:33) and "Royal Station 4/16" runs 7:08 (not 6:40). The correct times are printed on the disc itself.

Personnel

[edit]

Production

  • Niko Bolas – producer, mixing, engineer
  • Niko Bolas, Bob Vogt – engineer,
  • Tom Banghart – assistant engineer
  • Larry Goodwin – assistant engineer
  • Randy Wine – assistant engineer
  • Dennis Keeley – photography
  • Robin Fredriksz – make-up

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[8] 9
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[9] 14
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 51
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 7
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] 5
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13] 18
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 40
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 7
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 63
US Billboard 200[17] 22
Canadian Album Chart[18] 5
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[19] 38
European Albums (Eurotipsheet)[20] 20

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[22] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[23] Gold 7,500^
United States (RIAA)[24] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Richard Wachtel is credited for guitar, on AllMusic, but this is a known error, and he is not credited on Discogs.[7] Mauricio Fritz Sewak is also credited on bass, but this is likely a mistaken over-crediting of the drummer Mauricio-Fritz Lewak.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Brave and Crazy Review by Alex Henderson, AllMusic.
  2. ^ Album Reviews at CD Universe
  3. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City: Simon and Schuster. p. 283. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone melissa etheridge album guide.
  4. ^ Trust, Gary (August 5, 2010). "Ask Billboard: Records About Records". Billboard. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  5. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard Music Week. No. 23 September 1989. p. 84. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. No. 11 November 1989. p. 18. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Melissa Etheridge – Brave And Crazy", Discogs.
  8. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy". Hung Medien.
  9. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy" (in German). Hung Medien.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  12. ^ "Charts.nz – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy". Hung Medien.
  13. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy". Hung Medien.
  14. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy". Hung Medien.
  15. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy". Hung Medien.
  16. ^ "Melissa Etheridge | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  17. ^ "Melissa Etheridge Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  18. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. November 18, 1989. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  19. ^ "Sisältää hitin". Musiikkiarkisto.fi/.
  20. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 6, no. 42. October 21, 1989. p. 14. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  21. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  22. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy". Music Canada. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  23. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  24. ^ "American album certifications – Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
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