Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be 50 Essential Albums by LGBTQ Artists, representing a varied cross-section of genres, styles and time periods. Considering that the qualifier “LGBTQ” can often be open to various interpretations, for the purposes of this particular list, we have defined an artist as LGBTQ if he, she or they have ever publicly identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer. Moreover, albums by groups have been included in the list if any of their members fit the aforementioned criteria, even if some members do not.
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MELISSA ETHERIDGE | Your Little Secret
Island (1995)
Selected by Quentin Harrison
On Yes I Am (1993), Melissa Etheridge went from being one of rock’s best kept secrets to a renowned sensation overnight—it also confirmed Etheridge’s sexual orientation. That same spirited essence is all over Yes I Am’s successor, the sensuously rollicking Your Little Secret.
Leading with colossal instrumentation work on keyboard, acoustic and electric guitars, the ten tracks sizzle. The title song became a multi-rock radio format in the United States upon its release as a formal single and cemented Etheridge’s soulful, whisky-rich tone as a defining female voice of the 1990s.
LISTEN: