Search - Natalie Merchant :: Leave Your Sleep

Songs of Childhood [Not a childrens record]

O. MICHAEL | UK-Peru-Japan | 04/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Releases by Natalie have been few and far between since she left 10,000 Maniacs, so the release of the first new material in 7 years will be welcome news to her fans. Natalie is now signed to the Nonesuch label and this album is available in 2 different versions. A 2 disc set [the Complete Works] and a Selections from the Album Leave Your Sleep [Selections from it] . Initially Natalie wanted to release it in two separate volumes, but the record label decided it would be better to release it as a double album - as it currently sits so high in the Amazon charts the marketing men obviously got this right. I think there will be a lot of people who will turn their nose up at this because of what it is percieved to be - childrens poetry set to music. But anyone who has heard any tracks from it will be pleasantly surprised.



That music and poetry should meet at some point is not a surprise. There has over the years been a number of musical projects related to the work of different poets, I can think of the "Now & In Time to Be" project that featured the works of WB Yeats or Rufus Wainwright recent trips into Shakespeare territory. And now we have this release. An initial glimpse at the poets involved lead to the thought "who be them?" as I had never heard of many of them before, but dont let that put you off.



This is not an album for children. It is at some level an album about childhood. From Natalie's own words it features poetry "about, for or by children" and "a child's emergence into the world of language". It may well appeal to children, but it is, as far from, a kids record as you can imagine. The complexities of the arrangements and the music itself make it something far more mature, almost encyclopedic in its exploration of different musical genres. It really is an amazing record. Many of these poems, taken at face value, you think could have never made an interesting song. But how wrong you would be. All the songs seem to have a life of their own. Even when the lyrics seem throwaway, the final finished song is not, and that says so much about Natalie's skill and ability, as an arranger and vocalist.



Some of the songs that stand out for me are - "Nursery Rhyme of Innocence" a poem about a child verging on adulthood, not a kids song at all, recorded with the wonderful Irish band Lúnasa. It has a deeply celtic feel to it, and sounds like it has always been destined to be a traditional folk ballad. "Isabel" has a real rollicking old-timey stringband feel to it, with lovely fiddle, banjo and guitar playing. The song "It makes a change" almost has a late 1960 English pop feel to it. For some reason it reminds me of the Beatles. "Bleezer's ice cream" has a bouncey/jazzy setting to it, while the song "The peppery man" goes for a very deep south bluesy/jazz backing - with Waits-ian beat and brass section and gospel-like harmonies. "The King of China's daughter" takes us too a sound that seems totally Chinese, accompanied by traditional instruments and players, again with lovely harmonies. There is a very nice video of this on Natalie's website. "If no one marries me" has a very haunting acoustic sound allowing the lyrics to stand out. "Spring and fall" reminds me of something that Kate Bush might record and has a very sad orchestral sound. You almost need to keep a checklist for the genres this album delves into.



There is a very dreamy quality to much the album - the songs and lyrics have innocence to them at one level but on some levels a darkness and melancholy to them. Some of the lyrics maybe nonsense, but there are couplets from them, which make sense and strike a cord with the listener. As well as painting very vivid images in the imagination. The album covers such a wide variety of musical genres that its suprising it holds together so well as a single work, but that is down to Natalie's voice which has never sounded better. Her voice is so clear and restrained and has a beautiful vibe to it. You can almost sense that she is singing to, or with, her daughter.



Natalie's belief in this project is to be commended, she funded the project herself, in order to maintain control and retain the rights over the music. Natalie is on record as saying she actually had 50 songs prepared for the project and these are the final 26 she chose for the project. So I imagine there is a possibilty there may be a volume 2 at some point in the future, especially as this looks destined to be a great success, and I for one would be over the moon! [With or without the cow] .



The only thing that is disappointing about the album is we have to wait longer for an album of new material, written by Natalie. It really is a great album, one I have been looking forward to since seeing her appearance on Celtic Connections back in January. It has been well worth the wait. In short I would recommend this album to anyone who got as far as searching for this page on Amazon.



Highlights:

Nursery Rhyme of Innocence

The Dancing Bear

The Peppery Man

It makes a change

"

Brilliant concept, miraculous performance

Ben Koerner | Australia | 04/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This astonishing work will quickly take its place among the enduring treasures of popular music. I can think of nothing in the past 30 or so years that has so enthralled me.



First, it must be acknowledged that Miss Merchant had a fine idea when she decided to set to music these children's poems (more or less, as they're much more than that) from another age, one we view now through a lens that burnishes its beauties and even finds sly humour in its darker side. The only predecessor for this recording is probably Donovan's "HMS Donovan", recorded in the early 70s. Donovan too wrote gorgeous melodies for the Victorian poets he anthologized. But "Leave Your Sleep" really is something else.



The music here is - without exception - brilliantly conceived and arranged. There's already been a lot written about the number of musicians involved, but the salient feature of the playing is that for all the differences in genre, orchestration, style and mood, the 26 songs flow seamlessly through both discs.



Miss Merchant's selection of poets is, for this listener, almost supernaturally good. Robert Graves, Robert Louis Stevenson and Charles Causley are among my personal favourites and the thought that anyone would include all three in a project such as this seems like a happy dream from which I've no wish to wake. When I first heard "Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience" here, I felt sure Charles Causley would have loved the setting in which his poem, so seductive and disturbing, is given air and life.



Finally, her singing is just glorious. In the course of opening doors into these mostly long forgotten rooms, she seems to have liberated and enhanced her own gifts. Her voice never sounded so sure or strong, and there's not a false note anywhere as each story comes alive in the telling. She has surely found the path each of these poems wants to take, and has adapted subtly and sensitively, where needed, to allow them to sing. The booklet reprints each one as it was originally written, so in this lovely package we have the best of both worlds.



"

Wonderfully Brilliant

To Be Simple | 04/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a big fan of 10,000 Maniacs/Natalie Merchant. It has been tough waiting so long for a new album after her last release (The excellent "The House Carpenter's Daughter"). The long wait has been amply rewarded with the two-disc set "Leave Your Sleep." The album details are covered enough in the product description and other reviews, so I will not go into the impressive list of contributing musicians and amazing process Merchant used in making the album.



The aspect of "Leave Your Sleep" that impresses me most is the high quality of Merchant's voice. She has never sounded this good, which is saying something. Sure, the selection of poetry is awesome and the music itself is brilliant, but it is Natalie's vocals that tie everything together and make this album such a masterpiece. She delivers perfect vocals throughout the two discs. Given the wide variety of styles among the 26 songs, one would think there might be a few so-so songs. Not so. Natalie can take virtually any genre and make it her own. I am enjoying everything about "Leave Your Sleep." It will take me more time to fully digest everything about the album, but so far after listening through the discs several times I am amazed at how my already lofty expectations have been exceeded. I only hope that Natalie doesn't leave us hanging so long between this album and her next."