Natalie is star quality - Natalie s song writing skills rival any novelist s skills. She can draw pain and joy out of a lyric, as if it were a script to a play or movie. Her vocal deliverence of her songs is so emotional to me that I feel it. Her dedication to historical facts astounds me. There is a brain behind the lyrics she writes.
This Is My Favorite Natalie Merchant CD... - Do you know what my favorite Natalie Merchant CD is? No, it s not TigerLily. According to iTunes, it s actually The House Carpenter s Daughter -- a compilation of contemporary and traditional songs seeking to define `folk music -- that I seem to favor.Allison Miller plays drums, Elizabeth Steen plays accordion, organ & piano, Erik Della Penna plays guitar & lap steel, Gabriel Gordon plays guitar, Graham Maby plays bass, Judy Hyman plays fiddle, Natalie performs the vocals, and The Menfolk perform the backing vocals on this soothing CD.Unless I m mistaken, this CD was recorded at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, during 2003. The premise of The House Carpenter s Daughter posits that songs can & should be rescued from age, obscurity, and tradition.Gorgeous numbers like Weeping Pilgrim (Track Five) sound fresh considering they re appropriated from a Protestant Hymnal printed in the 1700 s, I enjoyed Stearns s banjo plucking and Hyman s sad fiddle on this song. Merchant s mournful voice is a surprisingly strong fit too.Her delivery is decidedly more brisk and up-tempo on Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow (Track Seven), which is the first song that The Carter Family recorded back in 1928. The use of the autoharp in this country-tinged song was truly genius.The eclectic song selection also samples more recent fare. Merchant s wise rendition of Sally Ann (Track One) is a nostalgic appreciation of upstate New York, band The Horseflies -- whose concerts Merchant attended in progressive college towns during the early 1990 s.Even though I enjoyed the dirge-like Crazy Man Michael (Track Three) -- which is a cover of the 1969 song first recorded by Fairport Convention -- it s melodic timber and emphasis on strings doesn t seem to blend in well with Merchant s other choices.Rhythmic instrumentals on Down On Penny s Farm (Track Ten) -- from The Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) -- form hard competition for Merchant s rich silky voice, but her excitation and the thigh-slapping lyrics strike perfect balance. What an enjoyable record!Related Musical Trivia: Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Eileen Edwards (Shania Twain), Macy Gray, Natalie Merchant, Alanis Morissette, and Wyclef Jean all shared the same sixth grade teacher.
Very good CD - I firstly heard Natalie Merchant on a local radio in my Country and got very impressed. After buying her CD, I must say there are at least 4 songs that I really love and the one that initially hooked me (soldiers, soldiers)is not the top one... some are even better.Would strongly recommend this CD to anyone interested in country and popular music.Lorenzo
Dynamite, Finally - As a fan of the Maniacs, I found little in Merchant s first 3 solo efforts fit for a lot of relistening. They seemed evidence of the typical incredible shrinking singer-songwriter syndrome, lured by big ego and big music moguls to bust up good music, stretching a perhaps uncertain gift too far. It was not that Merchant lacked talent, seriousness, or power in those efforts, just that she seemed too damn alone, unchallenged by others to soar as only she could. She too often looked and sounded spooked, like someone frantically searching for a musical mask to fit, a personna to hide in.Then when I was about to stop dropping change for one more moody downer, this disc comes along -- dynamite, finally -- and in a whole new way. The old American folk music tradition provides the challenge and dialogue she needs, and her grit and bite are back with a vengeance. The arrangements of this old stuff are not academic but original and inspired -- Merchant s conviction makes the songs sound absolutely contemporary. It s a short set, really, but interiorally vast with an astonishing array of effects. The spooky Diver Boy is a crime-haunted cry like nothing you ever imagined, Soldier an absolute scream you simply will not be able to get out of your head. The fact is, there is no bad cut here, she lines them up and knocks them down.This is no ordinary folk cover, nor respectful piece of time travel. It s an absolutely assured plunge into the heart of American tradition, one that also moves the whole picture forward -- in the tradition of the Dylan/Band Basement Tapes and the best of Gram Parsons.
Listen through before throwing aside... - After focusing on Natalie s somewhat earlier music, in which her voice is a little higher, it was a shocker to hear the samples of this record. I must admit I was turned off by what I heard in those short clips but I continued coming back for another listen and finally had to hear the whole thing for myself. I purchased a copy and listened to the songs and found that it was not as bad as I had expected. Natalie s voice is very defined and offers a different, soothing feeling. The songs are unique and I m learning to love most of them - as is the case with much of Natalie s music. If you truly appreciate Natalie s voice I m sure you will find appreciation in this collection.