Natalie Merchant - Ophelia

by Natalie Merchant

Overview

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook). Features PVG arrangements of 10 songs from the album: Break Your Heart * Frozen Charlotte * Kind & Generous * King of May * Life Is Sweet * The Living * My Skin * Ophelia * Thick as Thieves * When They Ring the Golden Bells.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781575602073
Publisher:	Cherry Lane Music Company
Publication date:	05/01/1999
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 12.00(h) x 0.22(d)

Table of Contents

Album Credits:

Gavin Bryars Arranger, Conductor Karl Berger Arranger, Conductor, String Arrangements Tom Varner French Horn John Holbrook Engineer George Laks Organ, Piano, Organ (Hammond), fender rhodes, Wurlitzer Daniel Lanois Guitar (Electric) Bob Ludwig Mastering Graham Maby Bass, Guitar (Electric) Natalie Merchant Piano, Vocals, Producer, Wurlitzer Craig Ross Guitar (Acoustic) Mike Scotella Mixing Assistant Jim Scott Mixing Peter Yanowitz Drums Garo Yellin Cello

Michelle Kinney Cello William T. Hunt Richard Campbell Susanna Pell Don Peris Guitar (Electric) Pamela Thorby Yungchen Lhamo Vocals, Translation Helene Silverman Package Design Mark Seliger Photography Jokim Lartey Percussion Krystof Witek Violin Carmen Consoli Voices Todd Vos Guitar (Electric), Engineer Christopher Wilson Theorbo

Editorial Reviews

She's no longer a Maniac, but whirling dervish Natalie Merchant is still crazy about smart, mysterious songs that reach the heart and head. Using strings, keyboards, and horns to great effect, Ophelia has a lusher, more atmospheric sound than Merchant's first solo project, Tigerlily, but just as powerful an emotional kick. Release date: May 1998.

barnesandnoble.com

Tigerlily established that Natalie Merchant could survive outside of 10,000 Maniacs, both commercially and artistically. Its follow-up album, Ophelia, is a bit more problematic. Initially, the album appears to be conceptual, tracing the Ophelia character through modern times. That concept quickly falls away, leaving studied, if somewhat elliptical, lyrical portraits. Like Tigerlily, the songs on Ophelia have hushed, layered arrangements that are outgrowths, not replicas, of 10,000's jangly folk-rock. However, Ophelia lacks the subtle sonic textures and graceful hooks that made Merchant's debut so charming. Instead, all of the subdued songs -- only "Kind & Generous" has a clear-cut, sing-along hook -- blend together, which makes the album decidedly less accessible. Unfortunately, it doesn't always reward the close listening it demands. A few songs reveal hidden layers and meanings upon repeated listens, but on the whole Ophelia sounds too insular and similar to make a large impression. -- All-Music Guide

Stephen Thomas Erlewine