To watch Live... and Alone is to realize that few performers connect with their audience as closely, and inspire such mutual gratitude, as Melissa Etheridge. Performing a two-hour, 22-song set at Hollywood's Kodak Theater on December 8, 2001 (the final American date of an international solo tour), Etheridge moves effortlessly between beautiful ballads ("Ready to Love" and Joan Armatrading's "The Weakness in Me") and raw, aching expressions of passion ("Lover Please," "I'm the Only One," and others) that have chronicled her own survival in a lifetime's quest for love. She may be alone on stage, but offstage life looks sweet between the 40-year-old Etheridge and Tammy, her first girlfriend after breaking up with longtime lover Julie Cypher, the mother of their two children. Etheridge's sensitivity to all facets of love is undiminished, whether she's dazzling her mostly female audience with flawless vocals and expert playing of several guitars, or giving a tearfully maternal response to questions about the mid-tour terrorism of September 11. Loaded with behind-the-scenes features (including rare video of a 1987 club gig), this two-disc set is heaven-sent for Etheridge's loyal fans, offering a thorough and technically impressive survey of Etheridge's career thus far. --Jeff Shannon