Natalie Merchant - Ophelia

NATALIE MERCHANT’S CONCEPT ALBUM
HIGH ON CONCEPT, LOW ON ARTISTRY

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Copyright © 1998 by Jeffrey Overstreet.
Reproduction is forbidden without permission of the author. Contact Jeffrey Overstreet at joverstreet@gmail.com.

Here’s Natalie Merchant, former lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs, with the follow-up to her debut solo album "Tigerlily". Titled "Ophelia", a name loaded with Shakespearean significance, Merchant implies that this particular outing is more ambitious and dramatic. One might hope it’s more interesting than the boring disappointment of "Tigerlily". Unfortunately, it’s not much better. In fact, its melodies are largely uninspired, its progressions (quiet and brooding, building to a generic string-section climax) predictable, and its lyrics only occasionally interesting.

Natalie needs to get back something of the "maniac". She sounds like Michael Stipe’s little sister trying to copy "Everybody Hurts" so she can score another radio hit. The songs are sentimental and sad, and thirtysomething radio with undoubtedly find a couple of tracks to play into the ground. But, with the exception of one song, the only memorable moments on "Ophelia" come because of the participation of a performer with stronger gifts than Merchant.

Daniel Lanois’ solo guitar on one track stands out as an instrumental highlight, and Merchant is smart enough to give him the spotlight for a good long time; Lanois is in fine form here, exploring further the feedback- enhanced groans and howls that provided the spooky, effective soundtrack for the film "Sling Blade". Too bad he didn’t produce the album. The album needs some creative mixing. In almost every song, the combinations of piano and strings are bland, following the formula that says "When you want to say something serious, bring in the strings, and then repeat the progression over and over, louder and louder!" But by the time "King of May" comes along, the melodramatic - string - crescendos have grown tiresome, and we're just over halfway through the album.

In addition to the Lanois solo, the other two highlights are due to the appearance of the Innocence Mission’s Karen and Don Peris. The overbearing solemnity is softened by the delightful grace of Karen's backing vocals in "Frozen Charlotte", and Don guitars give a dimension and richness missing elsewhere. However, this could almost be a mark against the album — it reveals how much Merchant needs help to make a song stick, how much she needs those Maniacs back. (As a matter of fact, Don’s guitar and Karen’s voice compliment each other so beautifully, the song acts as a wonderful teaser as fans wait for their next Innocence Mission album.)

And when Karen steps up to a proper duet, the album’s gospel-flavored closer "When They Ring Them Golden Bells", Merchant’s voice drops out on the last note but Peris’s voice sustains and gracefully fades. The charm of Suzanne Vega is that her hushed, half-whispered vocals are hauntingly beautiful as she recites her tangled poetry; Merchant occasionally finds a gentle tone that suits a nice ballad, but more often than not she sounds like she’s at the tired end of a long work day.

"Ophelia"’s biggest problem is not the music… it’s the lyrics. Merchant has said that she wanted to avoid irony ("I loathe irony" she told Rolling Stone) and to do something "honest". She hasn’t just avoided irony; she’s avoided good writing. Songs boil down to messages, like Be Good, and Be Kind and Generous, and Life is Good in Spite of Bad Things. There is very little poetry. Lyrically, "Charlotte" is again a striking exceptions. "Effigy" starts out strong, but then she surrenders her interesting theme to another vocalist and the song ends abruptly. At least "Break Your Heart" enlivens its own blunt platitudes with some kick drum and muted trumpet, but who wants to sing lines like "don't disrespect yourself... don't make the same mistakes with your own life.…" That’s the kind of stuff that makes so much contemporary Christian music so artless and forgettable.

"My Skin" is the only truly challenging and engaging song on the album that shows Merchant does have some good tricks up her sleeve. It’s a dark, sad soliloquy about the isolation of a celebrity, or perhaps the loneliness of a trophy wife; there’s a "shut up and kiss me" message here, from a neglected- but-adored soul that craves relationship rather than merely attention or fame. The sound carries some of that thick REM flavor that will keep the listener coming back to its riddles.

"Ophelia" is meant to be something more complex. It’s meant to show all the different sides, moods, personalities, and quirks of this melancholic "Ophelia" character. The cover art shows Merchant in all kinds of elaborate costumes, as all different characters. It’s far more entertaining to look at than it is to listen to. In "Frozen Charlotte" she sings, "Spring keeps her promises/ no cold can keep her back/ I want you to remember me that way." And we will remember a warm and colorful Natalie Merchant. She sang with the 10,000 Maniacs.