The CD Cover - Natalie As Demigodess

I consider Natalie Merchant’s “Ophelia” as the point when her solo career really commenced. She had released an album before (1995’s “Tigerlily”), but that album was more like the closing of a stage than the start of a new one. Conversely, “Ophelia” (released in 1998) is her first truly realized artistic statement, using every device that she wants to use, and letting her own voice and musical vision dominate every single minute of the album.

In actuality, “Ophelia” was a multimedia project – the CD was accompanied by a short video, and stills from the film constitute the artwork of the album. A concept is clearly discernible, although there are songs like “King Of May” that deviate from the overall study of the famed Ophelia, a female figure par excellence, and an obvious choice for Natalie, someone always concerned about the way women are perceived and how these perceptions can end up being lies which are always true.

That is the theme of the album’s eponymous track, and the first thing you listen to when you play the CD. Incidentally, it will also be the last thing you will listen to – an orchestral reprise closes the album. The song studies the character of Ophelia all through history, her feats and the eventual disgraces those achievements were to bring about. The fate of Ophelia reminds me of the words of Yeats: “I’ve grown nothing/being all”. Is Natalie studying the role of women from a perspective that implies so much effort to be regarded as equal did nothing but accentuate differences that were actually small to begin with? And is the result of such a situation that women end up being relegated to submissive romantic roles, such as in the song “Frozen Charlotte”?

That might be so, but Natalie also reminds us on the album that “life is sweet” and we have enough reasons to feel “kind and generous”, both for the smiles and for the tears that our interaction with others redounds to.

The true emotional powerhouse of the album to me, though, is “My Skin”. Natalie’s voice goes from being subdued to a profound elevation. I have never heard Ms. Merchant showcasing her skills so markedly, and the lyrics (dealing with a rejection and a loss so savage that no further gain could counterbalance them) lend themselves admirably to her delivery

Elsewhere, we have a tribute to Allen Ginsberg named “King Of May” which breaks the mood of the album and ends up resembling an intermission, a composition with a Tibetan fragment (“My Effigy”) and “Thick As Thieves”, a song that has a long lyric that deals with the rise and fall of man, and whether or not in a world divided spiritual unity is viable any longer.

The final track is Natalie’s arrangement of the traditional song “When They Ring The Golden Bells”. I am not overly-enamored with it, and I have listened to several versions by other artists that I deem as better takes on that song. For example, Emmylou Harris’ version (from the “Angel Band” album) is one I hold in greater esteem.

On the whole, “Ophelia” is an enjoyable listen. Natalie’s vision does not match the vision of her former band, and those looking for more Maniacs’ fire will be let down. The fire is the only thing absent here, mind you. The glow remains – and it shines brighter than ever. And the warmth can still be felt. And it is felt not stronger but actually closer than it was felt before. This is Natalie. This is what she wants to show us, and what she wants us to feel. She is leading us through corridors. But (unlike Ophelia) there is no reason to wander through them all alone. Life is a “glory, hallelujah jubilee” indeed. Natalie told us so from day one. She will keep on saying it using different devices through her career. And we know we will be listening every single time. It is always worth it.

Rating: 7.5/10

The CD Cover. Many Photos From The Same Shot Decorate The Booklet. This Is Easily The Less Appealing One.

In many ways, Natalie’s debut can be named “predictable”. That is, it has the share of compositions that the debut album of anybody who has been in a band for years will have – IE, songs which are not that detached from the original vision of the band. Yet, Natalie was the dominant voice within the Maniacs. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that the Maniacs’ albums without Natalie are the ones were the influence is felt the most, as those albums (notwithstanding how excellent they are) seem overtly attached to Ms. Merchant’s approach and sensibility.

The fact was that Natalie Merchant left the band after the release of “Our Time In Eden”, and she finally had the freedom to express what she felt and (for the first time) exactly how she felt it. If not all of the ties were severed by that point, it was only natural. That takes time. The bonds are felt more strongly on the song “Wonder”, which was the first single to be released, and which cracked the Top 20. The song is a somehow autobiographical piece, and in that context it is perfect – she sings about a life that is starting backed by instrumentation that resembles the one she left behind.

Conversely, the song “The Word” deals with the break-up from a somehow more anguished point of view. Natalie seems to be saying that mere knowledge is not necessarily translated into positive action. Knowing the word is one thing. Saying it is a different matter. Knowing what one has to do and doing it are different things. Personally, I think that contemplation and action are separated by a distance that is difficult to cover because it is so short. As a result, sometimes it is easier to “turn your head indifferent” as she sings here.

As successful as “Wonder” was, the biggest accolades were to go to the song “Carnival” Set apart by a particularly lively percussive backing, the song has a really memorable vocal melody, even if the lyrics might turn out to be the weakest on the whole album, along with the lyrics of the song “Cowboy Romance” (which is also written off in terms of music, incidentally). Still, there is not another single song within her repertoire that resembles “Carnival”, so you have to give her credit for not trying to establish a formula and running the show that way. She was to keep innovating and reinventing herself all through her career.

A particularly realized song is “Beloved Wife”. It is a particularly valuable piece because (in contrast to compositions like “Jezebel” or “Don’t Talk”) it deals with a couple were pure love was the driving force all along. In the song, the husband mourns the passing of his wife and wonders if it is wrong to follow her to where she has gone. It is a truly heartrending moment, and one of the album’s highlights.

Another tune which stands out is “The Letter”. It is a short, fragile composition that revolves around unexpressed feelings and the permanence they can have – far stronger than that of what has been conveyed.

Elsewhere, we have some compositions that are neither unpalatable nor engaging like “River” and “Where I Go”. They do not really lower the appeal, yet they stand as interludes that could have been more interesting.

And the album closer is the powerful “Seven Years”, where the character proclaims her intent to start anew. Her placing on the album could never have been unintentional, and it emphasizes the strongest feelings of all that were conveyed over the course of the preceding hour: independence. That is touched upon in both negative and positive manners, and “Seven Years” brings a resolution that is unequivocal – that of leaving behind what has gone before, and forge ahead.

“With love, with patience, and with faith, she’ll make her way.” That is what Natalie sang as the chorus to “Wonder”. Fifteen years later, we can confidently (and proudly) say that she got it right. A good album overall, and an excellent start to he career. Fans of her work with the Maniacs should pick it up before giving any of her other records a try.

Rating: 7.5/10

Natalie Merchant

Along with Emmylou Harris, Natalie Merchant is the female figure in music that I am the fondest of. Born in 1963, she began her career as a founding member of the American band 10,000 Maniacs in the 80s. I have covered them extensively already, and the only thing I have to say is that they were an incredibly talented group to which Natalie made a fascinating contribution, and when she parted ways with them in the early 90s many a heart went down. But as it turned out, both The Maniacs and Natalie would retain their edge and keep on doing what they did best: writing and performing music that goes from heart to heart.

Natalie’s first solo album was released in 1995, and it went by the name of “Tigerlily”. It included both a Top 20 single (“Wonder”), and a Top 10 hit (“Carnival). What ties she had with the Maniacs’ sound were mostly severed by the time of her second solo album, “Ophelia”. Her music was to become progressively insular, yet (as I said above) she never lost her edge in any sense. Divorcing herself from the role she occupied within the Maniacs (where she was part of a band that composed collectively) was obviously going to take some time and also some laboring (a fact she studied on the song “The Word” from Tigerlily). I think she always knew the kind of music she wanted to make and could visualize it in her head, but once she had the freedom to do it she could not do it completely unhindered. So she took down the barriers one by one and ended up crafting records like “Motherland” (2001), in which her artistic vision is fully realized.

On a side note, Natalie is actively involved in several charities and she is always concerned about the role women play in life, advising the younger generations without preaching on songs like “Tell Yourself” from “Motherland”.

And on another side note, she a true ideal of beauty – and even more so in the contemporary music scene. In a world of “female artists” like The Pussycat Dolls it would be nice for younger girls to realize were true beauty lies. And Natalie could author a pair of books on the subject.

My favorite video of Natalie that can be found on the web is this one. She performs “Wonder” with most of the band that had played on “Tigerlily”: