''Massive Blur'' is the debut album by the American musician

Melissa Ferrick Melissa Ferrick (born September 21, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter. They are a music professor at Northeastern University and at Berklee College of Music. Early life Ferrick was raised in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Their father John was a ...

, released in 1993. Ferrick supported the album by opening for

Marc Cohn Marc Craig Cohn (; born July 5, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1992. Cohn is best known for the song " Walking in Memphis", from his 1991 album '' Marc Cohn'', which was a To ...

on a North American tour. The album was a commercial disappointment, prompting Ferrick to release a song, "The Juliana Hatfield Song!", that poked fun at the large gap between her and her friend and labelmate Hatfield's "radio adds".

Production

Recorded in Los Angeles, the album was produced by Gavin MacKillop; Ferrick had considered

Lenny Kaye Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer, notable for his work with the Patti Smith Group, his contributions to music magazines, and his garage rock retrospective anthology '' Nuggets' ...

for the job.

Peter Holsapple Peter Livingston Holsapple (born February 19, 1956) is an American musician who, along with Chris Stamey, formed the dB's, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, ...

Susan Cowsill Susan Claire Cowsill (born May 20, 1959) is a musician, vocalist and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the family band The Cowsills. After touring with Dwight Twilley for quite some time in the 1980s, she co-formed the band Con ...

, and

Vicki Peterson Victoria Anne Theresa Peterson Cowsill (born January 11, 1958) is an American rock musician and songwriter. She has been the lead guitarist for the Bangles since their founding in 1981. After their first disbandment in 1989, she has returned ...

contributed to ''Massive Blur''.

Critical reception

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' opined that Ferrick's "songs are pensive and rocking, direct and oblique, often about relationships but not strictly romantic ones." The ''

Sun Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its Nameplate (publishing), masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ...

'' thought that "these songs read like short stories, strong and complete from first line to final verse." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' wrote: "A pop belter from Boston, this singer-songwriter's first album delivers the same kind of jolt that came in first hearing Melissa Etheridge's debut disc." ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' declared: "Armed with a powerfully dramatic voice and the prudent artistry not to overdo it, Ferrick writes about love and identity and family with piercing honesty and ingenuous uncertainty." The ''

Telegram & Gazette The ''Telegram & Gazette'' (and ''Sunday Telegram'') is the only daily newspaper of Worcester, Massachusetts. The paper, headquartered at 100 Front Street and known locally as ''the Telegram'' or the ''T & G'', offers coverage of all of Worceste ...

'' concluded that Ferrick "showcases all her complicated and flighty moods, her spunkiness, smart melodies and the indelible voice that makes her one of the most refreshing singers to appear this year." ''

The Virginian-Pilot ''The Virginian-Pilot'' is the daily newspaper for Hampton Roads, Virginia. Commonly known as ''The Pilot'', it is Virginia's largest daily. It serves the five cities of South Hampton Roads as well as several smaller towns across southeast Virgi ...

'' noted that "the album kicks off with a killer couple of cuts, the pleading 'Honest Eyes' and 'Happy Song', a nice little rocker." Steve Morse, of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', listed the album as the fifth best of 1993.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that the album "showed her to be a convincing, expressive pop/rock vocalist as well as a thoughtful and probing lyricist." ''

Out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

'', in 2000, deemed the album "forgettable folk rock."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control Melissa Ferrick albums 1993 debut albums Atlantic Records albums