Motherland | Natalie Merchant | i know what you tell yourself

Motherland | Natalie Merchant | Beautiful voice

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Motherland

	Motherland Natalie Merchant Elektra / Wea, 2001 average customer review:based on 149 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Just as Natalie Merchant donned a mythical persona for her last proper solo release, 1998's Ophelia, the buttery-voiced performer enjoys another stint as a quick-change artist on Motherland. From the trilling Middle Eastern flavor of opener "This House Is on Fire" to the evocative Latin classical guitar tones on "The Worst Thing," Merchant seems to enjoy pressing her steadfast, throaty vocals into new terrain as much as she does trying on dresses and high heels. While most of Motherland resides in the downtempo, ballad-heavy world that Ophelia did, most of the singer's diehard fans will appreciate her thoughtful phrasing and pastel soundscapes. There may not be fireworks, but the ex-10,000 Maniacs frontwoman knows her way around a sad song: "Golden Boy" excels as a wispy November poem, while she wiggles into torch-singer mode on "Put the Law on You." But the record's true standout is "Tell Yourself," an almost sprightly tune with sunny acoustics that resemble the Maniacs' "Don't Talk." Merchant may not be inherently comfortable in her own skin, but, like a salamander, she's excellent at transforming her surroundings without sacrificing her creative soul. --Kristy Martin

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i know what you tell yourself

this is just such a perfect album. it's haunting and spare and creepy, like rain pattering against the roof of an abandoned farmhouse where you're waiting out the storm... the darkness and cohesiveness of Motherland lift it way above the (often-brilliant-but-unambitious) stuff she'd been doing up til then. all the songs are strong, but "Tell Yourself" is my favorite Natalie Merchant song ever - sad and simple and stirring.

Beautiful voice

Natalie has a wonderful throaty voice which carries a song farther than one could imagine. If you like to listen to the voice of a woman and not a teenager, pick Natalie Merchant!

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Not for the casual fam

This is a good album by Natalie Merchant, but not being a fanatic, I prefer to stick with her first couple of solo albums. I found this to be beautifully produced and performed, but wasn't willing to invest the time in a dark, slower album.

Not her best

I am not writing to slam this album so much as to give some balance to the reviews here. I think it's normal for fans of an album, for the most part, to do Amazon reviews and so even mediocre CDs often wind up with 4 star rankings.

I own everything by the 10,000 Maniacs, John and Mary, and Natalie Merchant. I'm a big fan of her work and the work of the Maniacs, but I thought this CD was about the least listenable product she has released, either with or without the Maniacs. Her first solo CD ("Tigerlily") was very poppy and strong, her second ("Ophelia) had catchy melodies but had a greater depth and more somber tone overall, her third solo studio CD ("Motherland") was her attempt to write an original folky masterpiece. She would in fact record a great CD following "Motherland" where she covered traditional folk songs ("House Carpenter's Daughter"). "Motherland" feels like the awkward step between her writing pop masterpieces like "Tigerlily" and "Ophelia", and recording classic folk songs on "House Carpenter's Daughter".

Where the CD kind of loses me is in its inclusion of one too many slow-tempo somewhat overlong numbers. I can't help thinking that if even one of these slow songs was removed (How about removing "Put the Law on You"?) the CD would flow a lot better.

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