| | Natalie Merchant Motherland CD Natalie Merchant Discography of CDs
 (6 Customer Reviews)
In the post-Lilith Fair solo career of former 10,000 Maniacs frontwoman Natalie Merchant, MOTHERLAND stands as something of an achievement. It melds the lyrical craft she began developing all those years ago with the Maniacs, the contemporary pop sensibilities she's been crafting since the beginning of her solo work, and a variety of new influences that seem to have seeped in somewhere along the way. Things kick off distinctively with the creepy, violin-colored reggae slow-burner "This House is on Fire." From there it's off to an eclectic mix-and-match of styles, including the folk-ballad feel of the title track, the sultry blues of "Put the Law on You," and the gospel-soul tinge of "Build a Levee" (where Merchant is aided by considerable pipes of Mavis Staples. Even as MOTHERLAND traverses a variety of genres, the distinctive approach Merchant applies to the songwriting, performance, and arrangements makes this both one of her most memorable and most consistent solo albums.
Recorded at Allaire Studios, Shokan, New York; Sunset Sound, Hollywood, California; Clinton Studios, New York, New York between June 15 & September 9, 2001.
Personnel includes: Natalie Merchant (vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Katie Goldberg (vocals); Gabriel Gordon (acoustic & electric guitar); Greg Leisz (acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin); Sandra Park, Sharon Yamada (violin); Karen Dreyfus (viola); Alan Stepansky (cello); Sandra Church (alto flute); Chris Tedesco (trumpet); Elizabeth Steen (Hammond organ); Patrick Warren (pump organ); Graham Maby (bass); Matt Chamberlain (drums).
Producers: T-Bone Burnett, Natalie Merchant.
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Rolling Stone (1/31/02, p.53) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Her newly husky alto lends even more gravitas to an artist who has never lacked it..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/16/01, p.172) - "...An often exquisite minor-key outing..." - Rating: B
Mojo (Publisher) (12/01, p.100) - "...A fine record..." Natalie Merchant Motherland Songs Motherland Music Review Average Rating: (3.8 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews Natalie's 9/11 Album
I am the ultimate Natalie Merchant
connoisseur! But seriously, this is not
her best album, but certainly not her
worst either. She could never even have
a "worst." Her voice sounds much deeper
on this CD, in fact a friend heard me
playing it at work and thought it was
a man singing! Oh no! But I LOVE
Natalie, and I think she rules. This
is an album worth getting, for sure.
Her tributes to 9/11 are very moving.
Submitted by a reviewer (Spencer, MA, USA) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
 By far Natalie's best album
"Motherland" is definitely Natalie Merchant's best album to date. The album has a mix of sounds and her song-writing has never been stronger.
Submitted by a reviewer (Cardiff, Wales)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
Motherland is a powerful step forward
In order to intelligently gauge Natalie Merchant's career growth, one must compare her newer work with any of her work from the past. There is no doubt that her 10,000 Maniacs years were glorious, and she may never re-capture that (or want to). Motherland is a bold step forward in her solo career, but for the public, she takes too long between releases (an average of 3 years!). It is unfortunate that Motherland didn't immediately follow the multi-platinum Tigerlily because now, 90% of fans who bought Tigerlily won't even know about Motherland. Her music no longer attracts the masses as it did with 10,000 Maniacs. But perhaps that is her intention. Motherland is very personal, as if it were written only for you. Most women (her lone target audience now, it appears) oogle over and dissect every inch of her lyrics to point out something magical that has to be irrationally protected; most men cannot relate to alot of her lyrics. Objectively, the strongest appeal of Merchant is that voice and her alluring performances, not the lyrics. She explores many more music styles on Motherland than she did on her first two slow-moving solo releases. She branches out at an extremely vital time. Merchant has got to be the best female solo artist recording today. Best cuts: BUILD A LEVEE, TELL YOURSELF, JUST CANT LAST, THIS HOUSE IS ON FIRE.
Submitted by a reviewer (Pennsylvania)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Natalie's best album yet
I am so tired of people comparing Natalie's solo work to her work with 10,000 Maniacs. Although what she did with the Maniacs is excellent, the band never progressed musically and that is something that Natalie does with every album. "Motherland" has many musical styles, from Middle Eastern ("This House is on Fire") to blues ("Put the Law on You"). Natalie's songwriting has never been better, nor has her gorgeous voice. Don't listen to the negative reviews of this album - this is one of the most amazing albums I've ever heard!
Submitted by a reviewer (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Motherland is more upbeat than previous solo efforts
Although still not as good as her work with 10,000 Maniacs, Motherland is Natalie Merchant's first major step toward bringing back some of the extreme overall passion of her work with her former band. Hers is the greatest voice I have ever heard.
Submitted by a reviewer (Cumberland MD)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
Purchase Motherland CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Natalie Merchant Tigerlily CD (1995)
Motherland
 $6.45  
Super-serious Natalie Merchant has loosened up since leaving 10,000 Maniacs. From the soulful march, "San Andreas Fault," that opens her solo debut, it is obvious she has found a freedom in going solo. It's evident in her less restrictive vocals and in a tighter, more expansive musical sound.
Her lyrics, no surprise, remain somber. But in finally recording a song as throbbingly funky as "Carnival," Merchant offers a glimpse of what she always had lurking inside when she flailed about onstage with the Maniacs. And "River," a tribute to the late River Phoenix, gives her a chance to belt a lyric out--a pleasant, surprising change from her usual folkie whisper.
TIGERLILY also includes some simple piano tracks that recall the earliest Maniacs records. The piano-voice duet has always ...
| | Natalie Merchant Ophelia CD (1998)
Motherland
$9.89
After her departure from 10,000 Maniacs, Merchant declared her artistic independence with the enormously popular TIGERLILY, an album not entirely dissimilar in style to her former group. Her highly anticipated followup mines a somewhat more introspective vein, as Merchant pursues her muse at length (many cuts hover around the five minute mark). The bulk of the tunes here are ballads adorned by piano, organ and strings, often achieving an almost ecclesiastical tone, as on the title cut, an exploration of a mythical woman who appears in many guises throughout history.
Even relatively upbeat tunes like "Kind & Generous" and "Break Your Heart" retain the delicacy, sweetness and luxurious feel that have become Merchant's trademarks. The aforementioned spiritual element resurfaces in the bible-conscious lyrics of "Thick As Thieves" and the almost Carter Family-ish country spiritual "When They Ring The Golden Bells," a Merchant original that sounds ...
| | VH1 Presents The Corrs Live In Dublin CD (2002)
Motherland
$6.79 
This audio document of The Corrs' Dublin homecoming concert has pretty much everything fans of Irish pop could wish for, including an appearance from Bono in his earthly incarnation, fresh from an audience with President George W. Bush. It's to the band's credit that the charismatic singer fails to steal the show, despite creditable efforts via an anthemized version of Ryan Adams' beautifully downtempo "When the Stars Go Blue," and a great, leering rendition of Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra's "Summer Wine."
Somewhat more mysteriously, Rolling Stone Ron Wood also turns up on what sounds dangerously close to a lounge version of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing," ...
| | Mike Bloomfield Super Session CD (1968) Bonus Tracks; Remastered
Motherland
$6.75 
A surprise best-seller when it was first released, this mostly improvised pairing of singer/keyboardist/producer Al Kooper with two major guitar heroes of the day sounds fascinating all these years later precisely because of the distance of time--nobody makes records like this any more. The material runs the gamut from folk pop (covers of Donovan and Dylan), to blues ("Albert's Shuffle," "You Don't Love Me"), to heady jams ("His Holy Modal Majesty"), to big-band jazz ("Harvey's Tune").
All the tunes make effective templates for the kind off-the-cuff music-making that in less capable hands might have resulted in simple noodling. In fact, although Bloomfield and Stills don't play together on any of the cuts (Bloomfield played on one side of the original ...
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Motherland
$14.89 
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Motherland
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| | Essential Billy Idol CD (2003) (Import) United Kingdom
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$15.75 | | Coda African Renaissance CD (2009) (Import)
Motherland
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CODA’s music is an all-body experience - you’ll find your feet tingling with the dance-evoking groove, and your jaw-dropping at the breathtaking spectacle of colour and energy. It’s sensory explosion that will put a smile on your face and a groove in your boots. "CODA is just so hot right now... You simply cannot think about having a party without at least trying to sign them up for the evening's entertainment... CODA is the city's most in-demand band," Bianca Coleman, Cape ArgusWidely loved for their vibrant live performances, CODA is ranks as one of the hottest bands in South Africa at the moment. Their Afro-fusion sound is classy, refreshing and uplifting and is a rich blend of warm vocals, electric strings, saxophone, hypnotizing beats and a few other surprises, all brought together with a distinctly South African flavour. CODA has entertained some of the country's most eminent celebrities, business people and politicians, and their music has been known to get some of South Africa's leading figures on the dance floor. CODA performed at FW de Klerk's 70th birthday and was personally requested by Desmond Tutu to perform at his 75th birthday event.CODA's diversity has resulted in a new style of South African music that appeals to audiences from Soweto to Paarl, from Gugulethu to Bloemfontein and from Dubai to the Seychelles.The African Renaissance CD:CODA’s latest offering the skill and talent of the performers and draws on influences of several dance-orientated styles and elements of music including Electro, House and Kwaito, combined with elements of Classical and Afro-Jazz. The latest CD is a very worthy - perhaps vital - addition to any CD collection of South African music.African Renaissance is a feel-good urban-pop offering that cements CODA's signature fusion sound and takes the band to a new level. African Renaissance is an immaculately produced and presented album, colourful in both appearance and in spirit - the perfect showcase of the philosophy and character that CODA has been building since their inception.With song names like Reach Out, Stand Together, Take Care and To Be African, and as the album name implies, CODA is all about positive newness in Africa - it's about being reawakened to the spirit of Africa, and about adopting an attitude that is as upbeat and full of energy as CODA’s sound. The first offering from this groundbreaking new album - the single entitled It's Still The Music was an instant success around South Africa. Since October 2008, CODA’s new single ‘It’s Still the Music’ is rocking the airwaves across the nation on stations such as KFM, Good Hope FM, Heart 104.9, 5 FM, Highveld, ECR etc . The CODA performance:CODA is the one band that simply ‘has it all’ when it comes to their live performance – with a stylish combination of instruments (electrifying strings, cool jazz ...
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