My Amazon Reviews: Natalie Merchant "Natalie Merchant"

Richer and Darker
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Natalie Merchant has become more of a rich singer as the years have gone by. Her voice has become more full, her alto voice breathing a deeper mood to her new music on "Natalie Merchant." While deeper moods will likely come as no surprise to her fans (I've been one since seeing 10,000 Maniacs three times), the introspection might be. Gone are the days where she sang poetic socially agitated lyrics atop the Maniacs' new wavish pop, instead, she sings her straightforward poetry in a mix with some truly gorgeous instrumental players.

She's not totally devoid of socially conscious songs, as "Texas" could easily been seen as skewing a certain former president. But it's more mood than anything else she's aiming for. The fork tinged "Seven Deadly Sins" is a perfect example. Stripped to a fairly bare boned structure that slowly builds from acoustic beginnings to slide guitar and ultimately to a martial drum and tastefully played french horn ending, it's adult contemporary music that's for contemporary adults. It's finally at "The End," where Natalie once again touches on the wishful thinking of liberals, that she sings for the final laying down of arms against a 'sea so wide and treacherous,' all while backed with another gorgeously played string section. She may have a touch of grey in her hair as the CD cover depicts, but the elder spokeswoman of "Natalie Merchant" delivers pretty songs that are filled with the most distinct of emotional weight.

     

My Amazon Reviews: 10,000 Maniacs "Our Time In Eden"

Days To Remember
4 Out Of 5 Stars

The final studio album from 10,000 Maniacs with Natalie Merchant, "Our Time In Eden" catches the band peaking just before coming apart. Merchant's penchant for earnest, collegiate lyrics, backed by shimmering guitars and, on several songs, a horn section, made the album sound fuller than before. And with the song "These Are Days," the band delivered a true classic song that still can pull out memories at every listen (is it not obvious why a nostalgic TV commercial uses this as a theme song?).

Then there was "Candy Everybody Wants," a punchy social song backed with a wicked horn riff. (If you can find it, there's a live CD Single that features Michael Stipe.)

“If lust and hate is the candy,
if blood and love taste so sweet,
then give them what they want.”

Landing a decent blow against the Me Decade with a hook as catchy as candy itself, it became a modest hit for the band. Not as catchy but just as heavy in message is "I'm Not The Man," about a wrongly accused prisoner waiting on death row for the executioner. Like all their best studio albums, 10,000 Maniacs balanced the preachy with the popworthy, the poetic ("Stockton Gala Days") to the pointed ("If You Intend").

While the band did actually score a hit after Merchant left (a cover of Roxy Music's "More Than This"), she was a lynchpin to the band's complete sound. "Our Time In Eden" wrapped up a trilogy that included "Blind Man's Zoo" and "In My Tribe" to create a body of work that crystallized a certain style of female-led folk pop bands, It's very much of the early 90's, yet still resonates.

     

My Amazon Reviews: 10,000 Maniacs "In My Tribe"

Tribal Influences
4 Out Of 5 Stars

"In My Tribe" was the breakthrough album for 10,000 Maniacs, and it's easy to hear why. After a few recordings of self-conscious, arty pop (found mainly on "Hope Chest"), they tightened there sound into a more direct folk pop and Natalie Merchant found her voice as a sturdy instrument. Their penchant for message songs remained in place, but on the artier songs that remained ("Verdi Cries"), they discovered a grace that had not been previously there.

The secret weapon after Natalie was guitarist Robert Buck, who could shimmer and solo in perfect compliment to Natalie's poetry and statements. They tread ground about child abuse ("What's The Matter Here"), illiteracy ("Cherry Tree") and the loneliness of growing old ("Campfire Song" featuring Micheal Stipe of soulmates R.E.M.). That isn't to say they could be lighthearted, as the wedding of "My Sister Rose" or the single/video of "Like The Weather."

I also saw the band on this tour (with Tracy Chapman!), and they were more dynamic a live act than the records ever indicated. Despite the dropping of "Peace Train" (my CD still has it, though) due to the controversy that then surrounded Cat Stevens, the album was a message album whose message didn't get diluted in the translation. "In My Tribe" is the best of 10,000 Maniacs' albums, and the only way you could do better is with the collection "Campfire Songs."