Melissa Etheridge Returns to Form With Retro Rock Single 'One Way Out'

In a true return to form, Melissa Etheridge's single "One Way Out" ignites with the raw power of her early rock classics like "Bring Me Some Water" and "Like the Way I Do." And that's in part because it's part of a collection of previously unreleased or unrecorded songs that make up the upcoming album One Way Out, due out September 17 from BMG. The video for the single (which also marks a reunion with her original band and a return to the studio after 10 years) is out now.

"I'm gonna do 'One Way Out' because it never got played. We never got to finish it, so let's finish it," Etheridge says at the start of the video.

The nine-track album is made up of songs that never saw the light of day for various reasons. In some cases, they were written before Etheridge had come out and weren't right for those heady early days of her rise as one of the world's most recognizable lesbian performers. But when she came across some of her early music while working on a retrospective for a boxed set, some of the early songs seemed like the right fit for that project.

The saga of the reemergence of this early music doesn't end there. She and her original band, including Fritz Lewak, John Shanks, and Kevin McCormick, recorded several songs at Henson Studios in Los Angeles in 2013. Soon after, she and her label parted ways and the boxed set gathered dust until now. Etheridge rediscovered the tracks while searching for vintage music of hers to share on Etheridge TV's Friday Night Time Machine show, which she launched during the lockdown.

"I'm so excited to bring these songs to my fans. Years later I am still moved and can't wait to share these tracks live," Etheridge says, according to a release.

That's not all! Etheridge will perform One Way Out live at Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles for her "One Way Out....Of The Garage" concert special, which streams live Saturday on Etheridge TV. Part of the proceeds will go to the Etheridge Foundation.

Watch the video for "One Way Out" below.