Following the release of her latest album, “the truth is,” earlier this week, Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick will be in the area for a free show on Saturday, June 8, 7 p.m., at the New Port Richey Library.
With a career that spans two decades, Ferrick builds on her signature raw and emotive sound on "the truth is." By adding a touch of Americana and lush arrangements, she creates a more rootsy record. She also brought in a bevy of talented collaborators for this effort: Grammy Award-winner Trina Shoemaker (Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow) mixed the album; Rafi Sofer (James Taylor, Juliana Hatfield) took on the role of engineer; and fellow Berklee College of Music alum Paula Cole appears as a guest vocalist on the album’s first track, “Wreck Me.”
Atlantic Records signed Ferrick in the mid-1990s, at a time when artists like Liz Phair and PJ Harvey were making waves and the industry was intent on finding the next alt-rock female phenom. Eventually, as the industry evolved, Ferrick went on to form her own independent label, Right On Records, and for the past several years has been signed with MPress Records. She’s released 17 albums throughout her career, including four live records.
Ferrick will be back in the Tampa Bay area this fall, performing at Club Jaeb at the Straz Center on Oct. 28.
This article appears in Jun 6-12, 2013.