On Friday, Grammy and Oscar Award-winning rock singer and guitarist Melissa Etheridge releases her 17th album “Rise.”

During her two Maine shows, Etheridge will be playing songs from it, along with many of her time-tested hits like “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One.”

“Rise” opens with the blazing rocker “Bein’ Alive,” stays on point with “Matches” and then spreads its wings with the title track.

You’re gonna fall to the earth sometimes
You’re gonna taste the dirt sometimes
Then you’re gonna rise

The rest of the album flashes and pulses with Etheridge’s smoky, bluesy vocals and her equally riveting electric and acoustic guitar. The band slays on songs like “Don’t You Want A Woman” and “If You Ever Leave Me.”

A conversation with her delved into working with producer Shooter Jennings on “Rise” and what it means to be nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We also touched on “Call You,” a “Rise” track inspired by the 2020 death of Etheridge’s 21-year-old son Beckett from causes related to opioid addiction.

Why did you want Shooter Jennings to produce ‘Rise,’ and what was it like working with him?

When I was thinking about this album, I was thinking I want this to be California rock. Americana, outlaw country and country rock is what I could call California rock. I kept running across Shooter Jennings. So I went to meet with him and we just hit it off right away. I could sit in a studio with him all day. I didn’t have to prove anything to him and he was so appreciative from the very beginning. A lot of producers want to work with their guys, and I wanted to bring my band and he was 100% fine with that. The way this album sounds, I’m so satisfied with it and that’s all Shooter and his engineer David Spreng.

What was it like writing and singing “The Other Side of Blue” with Chris Stapleton?

It was perfection. We first wrote the song together, and he would sing a line to me. I just thought in my head, “Oh my god, you could sing the instructions to a computer and it would sound amazing, I really can’t tell you every time you open your mouth angels fly out.” Working with him was such an amazing delight, and I’m so grateful for it.

What were you feeling when you wrote the title track “Rise?“

I was alone in a hotel room in Florida. It was freezing cold, and I had these outdoor gigs in January of 2025. I looked out the window and this whole murder of crows was flying around this dock right next to me and the wind was blowing so hard that this one bird was literally just staying still, trying to fly.

I was open to writing, I had my guitar. This was also just a week after the L.A. fires, so we had evacuated. My city had been injured, and it had me looking at everything.

Life is full of loss — you go up and then you go down and then you go up again. Every time you’re going down, every time you’re gonna fall to the earth, sometimes you’re gonna taste the dirt but then you’re gonna rise. And that’s the feeling — coming back up and going “I got this.” That’s where “Rise” came from. You learn and you grow through it.

How did it feel to have the album released on the legendary Sun Record label?

It is so cool. The best part of it is that it’s run by women. When I went there, it was a room full of women, and they have been making it happen. I haven’t been excited about a record company in a long time. It’s an iconic label with the whole Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley connection. I’m all about that.

“Call You” is about the loss of your son Beckett. Will it make it into the live show?

Oh boy. That has been in many discussions that I’ve had with my band and with my wife. I’m gonna let the album go out there and let people soak it in for a couple of weeks because when I do that song, I know it will be a moment that I will then have to bring people back from, and myself from.

Have you ever cried on stage?

Oh yeah. I’ve had moments of that. And probably the first time I sing this, I might go through something like that.

What do you think about finally being nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after 12 years of eligibility?

My wife said “Thank God, it’s the first time I haven’t been angry on this day.” For me, I remember when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was founded. I’ve been involved, I inducted Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt, and I have always had it in my mind, but I would say that’s something that some day may happen and that’s fine. When it did this year, it really hit me and I got really emotional about it. It means more to me than I thought it would.

Note: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees for the class of 2026 will find out if they’re being inducted in April.

Do you have a message for your fans in Maine?

Thank you for loving the music, for supporting live music and for coming out and seeing me. Thank you for loving the songs. I will play the songs you love, and I’ve written this album for people who love my music.

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IF YOU GO:

8 p.m. Monday, March 30. Waterville Opera House, 1 Common St., $110-$270. watervillecreates.org.

8 p.m. Saturday, April 4. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., $82.50-$102.50. porttix.com.