May 18, 2010
I’ve always liked Natalie Merchant’s voice. Ever since her work with the band 10,000 Maniacs, I’ve been a fan. She hasn’t released any new music for a while, though…until this year. And oh, what music it is. Do yourself a favor and order a copy of Natalie’s double-CD set, Leave Your Sleep. It’s an amazing project; I think you’ll hear lots more about it at Grammy Awards time. For Leave Your Sleep, Natalie assembled a collection of poems and nursery rhymes for children, written by such luminaries as Edward Lear, Ogden Nash, E.E. Cummings, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Then, she developed musical arrangements for the poems and recorded each one in a different style: blues, country, sea shanty, Chinese, psychedelic, klezmer, bluegrass, etc. Listened to one after another, these pieces make a dazzling impression. You might enjoy some more than others, but you’ll surely be entertained. (It comes with a beautiful hardbound book that includes histories and photos of all the authors, which is mighty entertaining, too.) And I bet you’ll admire Natalie’s vision, ambition, and versatility in conceiving and recording this project. Like I said, you’ll hear more about this one come Grammy season. Meanwhile, pick up a copy and give it a jillion spins. Here’s the link. See you soon!
