It seems strange to say it, but Motherland fails because Natalie Merchant sings too well. Many of the songs on this album are soulful, blues-tinged numbers that require a voice that can crack and break with emotion. Natalie's voice holds an even keel throughout the album, which saps the energy out of most of the tunes. Her voice isn't brassy enough to pull off a gospel rocker like "Saint Judas," and she needs to smoke a pack of cigarettes before she can even approach a torch song like "Put the Law On You." Fiona Apple performs similar songs much more effectively on When the Pawn, with a voice that isn't afraid to falter.
Ms. Merchant fares better when she sticks to the mid-tempo, adult contemporary style that made Tigerlily a hit album. "Tell Yourself," for example, is a simplistic but effective ode to teenage self-consciousness ("Tell yourself that you're not pretty/ Look at you, you're beautiful"). Unfortunately, songs like this are rare on Motherland, as Natalie Merchant keeps her reach too far beyond her grasp. Possibly the most embarrassing track on the album is "The Ballad of Henry Darger," which she sings in a register that is clearly too high to be comfortable.
In the end, Motherland doesn't work because Natalie Merchant is unable to express the wrought emotion that these songs demand. Most fans will be better off with Tigerlily, or better yet, the 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged album.
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