The Oscar-winning singer/songwriter--whose "I Need to Wake Up" took home the award last year for Best Original Song after being featured in former Vice President Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth"--is set to kick off the outing July 1 in Hyannis, MA. In August, Etheridge will play back-to-back shows in Chicago (8/7-8) as well as an Aug. 29 concert at Los Angeles's Greek Theatre. All of her scheduled dates are included below.

Members of the singer's online fan club--the Melissa Etheridge Information Network--will receive priority ticketing for most of the shows. More information on the club can be found at the performer's official website.

"The Awakening," Etheridge's ninth studio album, hit stores last September. The disc was co-produced with David Cole and features Etheridge's regular touring bandmates, guitarist Philip Sayce, bassist Mark Browne and drummer Mauricio 'Fritz' Lewak.

The album debuted at number 13 on The Billboard 200 chart, selling about 48,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The set's first single, "Message to Myself," peaked at No. 25 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

Etheridge continues her return to full-time performing following a pair of significant events in her life. The singer revealed she had breast cancer in 2004, and subsequently announced she was free of the disease after a pair of surgeries to remove the cancer in 2005.

On a happier note, Etheridge's partner, Tammy Lynn Michaels, gave birth to a pair of twins--one girl and one boy--in 2006, a development that further complicated the performer's tour plans.