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Natalie MerchantAlbums ReviewedTigerlily (1995)Ophelia (1998) Motherland (2001) Tigerlily(1995)After more than a decade with college folk-rockers 10 000 Maniacs, a band that she joined as a 17 year old, Merchant hit the paydirt with her solo debut Tigerlily, selling millions of records. This isn't the most exciting album, and it's probably fair to say that the singles 'Jealousy', 'Carnival' and 'Wonder' provide a fair share of the album's musical highlights. Nevertheless there's something endearing in the warmly minimalistic sound and Merchant's soothing vocals that elevates this record above the run of the mill. Merchant's voice is a major asset; her warm, husky tones give depth to the material, and compensates for the occasionally monotonous melody or arrangement. Merchant's lyrics are strangely mixed; for every piece of direct emotion ("But for seven years you were loved/I laid golden orchid crowns around your feet") or convincing imagery ('San Andreas Fault', 'Where I Go'), there's a piece of sophomorism like the dull 'Cowboy Romance' or the River Phoenix elegy. And 'Wonder' sounds fine on record, but on paper it's nonsensical: "they say I must be one of the wonders of God's own creation/and as far as they can see they can offer no explanation." Despite this, the lyrics often work as hooks, as lines like "how I confound you and astound you" or "hypnotised/mesmerised/by what my eyes have seen" are as often as memorable as any of her melodies. Tigerlily is almost completely devoid of rock for 95% of its running time, only really taking off when guitarist Jennifer Turner hammers out some distorted leads in the conclusion of last track 'Seven Years'; Turner's understated playing definitely adds to the record's appeal. Still, this is a solidly enjoyable album, even if it does get bogged down in the middle. 'I May Know The Word' is appealing with a lilting melody, but it doesn't justify its eight minute running time, while 'Cowboy Romance' and 'River' are far less interesting. But elsewhere the standard is much higher, with melodic midtempo pop/rock in 'Wonder' and 'Carnival', pretty piano ballads like 'Beloved Wife' and the climactic 'Seven Years' and the gently acoustic 'Where I Go'. 'San Andreas Fault' best illustrates the vaguely mystical quality that Merchant does occasionally infer onto her mainstream recordings. There's nothing revelatory here, especially in musical terms - Merchant's limitations as a musician, and the mostly four piece arrangements do restrict Tigerlily to relatively simplicity - but it's tastefully done and as a modest pop record it succeeds on its own terms. Whether you find it soothing or sleep inducing is entirely your preference. 
 Ophelia(1998)Merchant's sophomore album is a concept album, written from the perspectives of a woman with a multiple personality disorder. It's quite a different kettle of fish than Tigerlily; it doesn't have as many catchy songs, and the tone is slower and more introspective. It's a lot a lot more substantial, even if it's not as melodically approachable, using a broader palette of sounds makes it stand up better to repeated listening; additional personnel include Daniel Lanois on guitar, Gavin Bryars arranging orchestrion on the reprise of the title track and Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo on 'Effigy'. If all of these factors, the theme and the dedication to Allen Ginsberg in the booklet make Ophelia sound pretentious, it kind of is, but it's hardly unbearably pompous, and a little bit of ambition helps to give this album its own identity. Merchant has a unique voice, with a rich, warm drawl, but she's merely a conscientious worker rather than an inspired innovator, and Ophelia is effective because of hard work and craftsmanship, as well as contributions from various collaborators to add colour. As well as those mentioned above, the rhythm section of Graham Maby and Peter Yanowitz does an excellent job. This album's much harder work to absorb than Tigerlily, apart from the single 'Kind And Generous', which still features a more sophisticated arrangement than anything on that album, and the charming cover of 'When They Ring The Golden Bells', where Merchant duets with Karen Peris. The remainder of the songs are more difficult, but reveal themselves sooner or later; 'King Of May' is a gorgeous vocal melody, while 'Frozen Charlotte' is haunting and minimal. Some of the longer songs also showcase terrific instrumental skills; the sometimes preachy 'Break Your Heart' features some creative trumpet lines, while Lanois gets a chance to cut loose on the extended 'Thick As Thieves'. This record isn't everyone's cup of tea; it's in kind of a nether region where it's possibly a little too difficult for the casual music fan, while music snobs will consider Merchant beneath their notice. All the same, it's an improvement from the sometimes routine debut, even if it's not enough to yet cement Merchant as a major artist in her own right.
Live In Concert(1999)I've heard this and it's more enjoyable than you'd expect a Merchant live album to be, especially as Merchant throws in covers of Bowie's 'Space Oddity' and Neil Young's 'After The Goldrush', as well as old 10 000 Maniacs songs. Motherland(2001)It seems that Merchant is a poet, or at least a social critic, who somehow ended up as a musician; while she pulls out memorable melodies and covers an divergent range of styles on Motherland, most of the instrumental parts are low key complementing her voice and lyrical concepts. Which is fine by me, as her voice is a warm and expressive instrument while her lyrics are generally thought provoking. The most startling lyrics come in the prescience of 'This House Is On Fire', recorded shortly before the twin towers attack, where Merchant predicts that "I've been reading all the warnings and the danger signs......it's all gonna catch like a house on fire". Elsewhere, her thematic concerns revert more to type; female empowerment in 'Tell Yourself", a straight forward lyric until it is given force by the conclusion that "There's just no getting 'round the fact that you're thirteen right now." The folksy title track is an excellent piece of music, but is condescending and naive ("come on shot gun bride, what makes me envy your life? Faceless, nameless, innocent, blameless, and free, what's that like to be") compared to the vehemence of 'Saint Judas' where Merchant accuses the southern states of venerating Judas with their actions, rather than Jesus, with a dramatic ending that names all of the offenders ("Georgia, Carolina, Carolina"). Merchant duets nicely with gospel legend Mavis Staples on the latter. Motherland is produced by T Bone Burnett, who brings an earthiness to the arrangements, particularly in the first five tracks, fitting in with the Southern folk lore of Merchant's lyrics. After a lacklustre middle section, Motherland concludes with more characteristic pop, albeit with savagely lovelorn lyrics. 'Tell Yourself', 'Just Can't Last' and 'Not In This Life' seem like the singles with catchy melodies and peppy arrangements, while 'I'm Not Gonna Beg' brings an appropriately solemn conclusion to a weighty album. I find it difficult to justify my admiration of this record, and of Merchant in general, since it's hardly a musical masterpiece on any objective level - I guess singer-songwriters connect to different people differently, and Merchant connects to me far more than say Ben Harper. I find Merchant's lyrics and persona appealing, and the musicality and eclecticism of the album do enough to sustain my interest throughout. Or it proves that I like any album that has an abundance of organs and Biblical references.
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Written 2001-2007, Graham Fyfe
