Natalie Merchant was a vibrant and essential part of 10,000 Maniacs. As a solo artist with extraordinary peaks in a fruitful career that expands over six albums, Natalie Merchant has made her mark. The release of Tigerlily came a few years after her last with 10,000 Maniacs. Our Time In Eden gave us “These Are Days”, and the intensely exciting “Candy Everybody Wants”. With Tigerlily, Natalie Merchant delivered “Carnival”, “Wonder”, and “Jealousy” off her debut hit. Her last was her self-titled Nonesuch album, Natalie Merchant, released in 2014. Needless to say, her contributions to our world collection of tasteful Rock-Pop Adult Contemporary music is a part of our music overview.
On June 23, Nonesuch will bring the spotlight back to Natalie Merchant with the assembled release of The Natalie Merchant Collection. This set will house 10 CDs, with her solo releases that include Tigerlily (1995), Ophelia (1998), Motherland (2001), the double album, Leave Your Sleep (2010), Natalie Merchant (2014), and her Paradise Is Here: The New Tigerlily Recordings (2015) (The House Carpenter’s Daughter is an independent release and is included in this set).
In addition to these previously released albums, there will be her new Butterfly album, with four brand new songs, and six reinterpreted classics from her catalog. The tenth CD will be a collection of fifteen rare and previously unreleased tracks from her long career recorded between 1998 and 2017. These are reflective home demos, outtakes, live recordings, and collaborations with Billy Bragg, David Byrne, Amy Helms, Cowboy Junkies, and The Chieftains.
The set will provide a 100-page book filled with lyrics and photos representing the whole of Natalie Merchant’s rich solo career. All in all, this set will be a definitive Natalie Merchant library set.