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.
Personnel: Natalie Merchant (vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Mavis Staples (vocals); Greg Leisz (acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, banjo, mandolin); Erik Della Penna (electric guitar, lap steel guitar, classical guitar, banjo, oud); Gabriel Gordon (electric guitar, E-bow); Krystof Kuznik, Robert Shaw , Jung Sun Yoo, Fiona Simon, Bruno Eicher, Ann Kim, Karen Marks, Soohyun Kwon, Sandra Park, Lisa Kim, Laura Seaton, Sharon Yamada (violin); Karen Dreyfus, Nick Cords, Vivek Kamath (viola); Elizabeth Dyson, Alan Stepansky , Sara Selver (cello); Sandra Church (alto flute); Guy Klucevsek, Van Dyke Parks (accordion); David Krakauer (clarinet); Mitch Estrin (bass clarinet); David Ralicke (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, trombone); Tony Kadleck (trumpet); Phillip Myers (French horn); Keefus (piano, keyboards); Patrick Warren (pump organ, chamberlin); Elizabeth Steen (Mellotron); Matt Chamberlain (drums, percussion).
Audio Mixer: Jim Scott .
Recording information: Allaire Studios, Shokan, NY (06/15/2001-09/09/2001); Clinton Recording Studios, New York, NY (06/15/2001-09/09/2001); Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA (06/15/2001-09/09/2001).
Photographer: Laura Wilson.
Arranger: Stephen Barber.
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'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? YesNo
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? YesNo
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? YesNo
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? YesNo
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? YesNo
Natalie's 9/11 Album
By far Natalie's best album
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