Artist: Natalie Merchant
Album: Tigerlily
Released: June 20, 1995
I first listened to this album about 15 years ago, when a friend bought it on cassette for me for my 11th birthday. The previous year, "Carnival" was being played on the radio all the time, and it instantly became the soundtrack to my summer when I was 10. The slow, soft, melodic grunge-type sound blended perfectly with Natalie's vocals and she described walking through New York City. A few months later, "Wonder" was the next song to receive lots of airtime, and I loved it just as much, even if it had a much different tone from "Carnival" - much more joyous and upbeat. Yet it had the same great blend of sound and vocals. I quickly came to realize how talented she was.
Natalie Merchant is the former lead singer of the band 10,000 Maniacs, an alternative rock/pop band that enjoyed steady success during the 1980s and early 1990s. (They continued on later with a new lead singer.) This was her first solo album, and in many ways it was a fairly strong departure from her days with the band. To this day, she still is my favorite female vocalist, and on this album her voice plays a more prominent role than in many 10,000 Maniacs songs. She has a beautiful voice - but not in the way that term is often used. It is a rich, passionate voice capable of conveying a wide range of emotions, whether it be contemplation ("Carnival"), optimism ("Wonder"), sadness ("Beloved Wife", told from the perspective of a grieving widower), anger ("Seven Years"), or mourning ("River", about the late actor River Phoenix).
Since I owned (actually, still do own) this album on cassette, I still think of it in terms of side one (tracks 1-5) and side two (tracks 6-11). Side one still just totally blows me away every time I hear it. "San Andreas Fault" is a great opener - the sound is very simple and mellow, but Natalie herself does most of the work. It's a great way to give the listener an idea of what the rest of the album will be like. "Wonder" (#2) and "Carnival" (#5) are also on here... but "Beloved Wife" and "River" are also both incredible and emotional songs.
I do think there is a little bit of a dropoff in the second part of the album, as Natalie departs a little bit from the sound of the first part. It starts with "I May Know the Word" and ends with "Seven Years," sounding much like the first part. The former is a little drawn out, but still very good, while the latter is solid but maybe a little overly dramatic. In between, she experiments a little bit, starting with the piano-based "The Letter" - pretty decent, but I really wish she had developed it a little more. The quasi-country "Cowboy Romance" and "Where I Go" aren't bad, but definitely not her strong point. "Jealousy" was released as a single after I got this album, and I really don't understand why. Not only is it my least favorite track on the album, but it's not a radio-friendly song either.
I wouldn't really know how to classify this album. It's not really rock... I guess technically it is pop, but it doesn't sound at all like most of the popular music that came out during the mid-90s, or anytime since then for that matter. In trying to think of another female vocalist to compare her to, the best I could come up with is Alanis Morrisette... but I still don't think that's a really strong comparison. In any case, this album doesn't get anywhere near the attention that other albums that came out around that time do, and that's a shame. To me, it's a hidden treasure that I still enjoy just as much as I did years ago.
Track #, Name of Song, Duration, My Rating
1. San Andreas Fault (3:57) - 9/10
2. Wonder (4:26) - 10/10
3. Beloved Wife (5:03) - 10/10
4. River (5:32) - 10/10
5. Carnival (5:59) - 10/10
6. I May Know the Word (8:07) - 9/10
7. The Letter (2:12) - 7/10
8. Cowboy Romance (4:39) - 7/10
9. Jealousy (2:41) - 7/10
10. Where I Go (3:59) - 8/10
11. Seven Years (5:31) - 8/10
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