Melissa Ferrick - Everything I Need (The Q Sessions) (2024) Hi-Res

Melissa Ferrick is a singer/songwriter who merges the introspective sincerity of folk music with an attitude and approach derived from 80s college rock influences. They first gained notice opening shows for Morrissey in the early 90s and in 1994 released Massive Blur on Atlantic, but neither it or its successor, Willing to Wait, broke the singer/songwriter into the mainstream. Ferrick carved out a niche as an independent artist starting with the release of Made of Honor on What Are Records? in 1996. As they spent time teaching at Northeastern University and Berklee College of Music, Ferrick worked steadily as a performer and recording artist, often releasing music on their own imprint, Right On Records, but later signing to Kill Rock Stars in 2023, which released their single "Black Dress."

Raised in Ipswich, Massachusetts, Melissa Ferrick learned classical violin and piano as a child, picking up trumpet and bass as they entered their adolescence. By their late teens, they were an alum of Berklee College of Music and started to carve out a career as a performer by singing in New York City coffee houses, eventually settling in Boston. Ferrick's big break arrived in 1991 when they replaced Morrissey's opening act less than an hour before showtime. Ferrick's performance impressed Morrissey, who invited them to open for him during the rest of the tour. Not long afterward, Ferrick signed with Atlantic Records.

Atlantic released Ferrick's debut album, Massive Blur, in 1994 to strong reviews but neither it nor their stripped-down second album, Willing to Wait, earned enough attention to sustain her contract at the major label. After Atlantic dropped them, Ferrick signed with the Colorado-based independent imprint What Are Records? releasing Made of Honor in 1996. They remained with W.A.R.? over the course of several albums -- including Everything I Need, Freedom, and the concert recording +1 -- before taking inspiration from fellow songwriter Ani DiFranco and forming their own label, Right On Records. Ferrick's first album on Right On was Skinnier, Faster, Live at the B.P.C., a 2001 effort that was swiftly followed by the studio set Valentine Heartache.

Early in the 2000s, Ferrick established a pattern of recording and touring regularly, logging as many as 150 shows a year. Ferrick signed with MPress Records in 2011, releasing Still Right Here, an album that gained them acclaim, including the honor of being named OUT Music Awards Most Influential Artist for 2011. They released one additional record, The Truth Is, for MPress in 2013. That year, Ferrick began teaching at Berklee College of Music. After a period of seven years, they accepted a position at Northeastern University.

Maintaining a parallel career as a professor and a performer, Ferrick revived Right On for an eponymous album in 2015. Early in the 2020s, Ferrick started the management company Drive Music Agency. In 2023, they signed with Kill Rock Stars, releasing the single "Black Dress" prior to a full album in 2024. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine