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Lion Reviews Natalie Merchant

Natalie Merchant -- Tigerlily
1995

Natalie Merchant's Tigerlily was her first album released after her work with 10,000 Maniacs. The name of the CD comes from the name of a pretty flower, which can be used as medicine to calm the mind and treat insomnia, but can be be deadly to our feline friends. Without doing extensive research, looking at interviews and the like, I cannot understand why she gave her first CD this name.

I am not attracted to Natalie Merchant's voice, but that doesn't stop me from being drawn into the tracks on this CD. I suppose the first time I really started to enjoy the lyrics was the time I brought the case and lyrics in the car as my wife drove to her parent's house. We read the lyrics and had several "ah ha" moments---"so that's what she's saying."

There is some great writing on "San Andreas Fault", a song about the paradise someone seeks in California. I enjoy the poetry on "Wonder", a song written in first-person, about someone dealing with an abnormality. I love the personification of Fate, which brings back images of Greek or Roman mythology. There is also good imagery on "Carnival" and "Where I Go".

The music is varied, the lyrics are intelligent. If you enjoy her voice, you'll have a great time with Tigerlily.

Natalie Merchant -- Ophelia
1998

It would be impossible for me to review Natalie Merchant's Ophelia without discussing Shakespeare's tragic figure. Shakespeare's Ophelia in the Tragedy of Hamlet is kind, obedient, respectful, simple, and good. She ultimately takes her life after Hamlet kills her father and she is left with no one to trust.

Natalie Merchant's song "Ophelia" is about Ophelia through the ages. She sings about the tragic figure in Hamlet, as well as an Ophelia in ancient Babylon, one in Vegas, and one in the circus, each of these women wrapped in goodness. She sings, "For Ophelia'd know your every woe and every pain you'd ever have / She'd sympathize and dry your eyes / Help you to forget". In this song, Ophelia is an every-woman, who through her goodness provides balance and stability for the chaos of men. By choosing Shakespeare's character as her representation of these women, Natalie Merchant draws our attention to their fate--suicide. Either by losing their identity or by losing their life, these women make a tragic sacrifice.

The other tracks on this CD also speak to women. There are messages in this CD about not blaming one's parents, about someone reflecting on what is important at the moment of death, about not making the mistakes other people have made, making good choices, a eulogy to the "King of May", and another song about despair, spoken by someone who recognizes she cannot go on living. Hope does not make an appearance on this CD until the last vocal track on the CD, "When They Ring the Golden Bells", a first person song about someone anticipating the beauty of "that lovely Eden".

Do I need to spell out the thesis of this CD?

In terms of production, the music is generally somber, except for "Kind and Generous". Violins make an appearance on more than one track, and many songs feature electric guitar or piano, but in each case, the instruments are background to Natalie's lyrics and voice.