Natalie Merchant - Ophelia 320cbr (Big Papi) 1998 Pop Rock

A beautiful, beautiful album.
At first listen this seems like another "Tigerlily", which was pleasant but forgettable, because the songs are also slow and serious. But don't be fooled. Natalie Merchant continues to grow as a songwriter and performer, and this album is her best work in every way.

On the records she made with 10,000 Maniacs, there were always a few songs which were stunning in their emotional intensity and beauty ("Cotton Alley", "Gun Shy", "Verdi Cries", "Dust Bowl Days", "The Big Parade", "Jezebel", "How You've Grown", "Noah's Dove"). On "Ophelia", almost all the songs are this revelatory, and their collective range of feeling is most impressive, despite some reviewers' complaints about the absence of any uptempo hard-rocking songs.

The arrangements are colorful and complexly layered, and some of the songs are quite experimental and require a few listens to "get" (especially the title track), but they all work. The fifth star in the rating is essential, because "Ophelia" is not only a wonderful CD, it is so unlike any other one that those who don't have it will have a serious gap in their musical experience.

All the tracks are strong and interesting, but I would like to single out "My Skin" and "The Living". Merchant's uniquely lovely voice is almost unbelievably moving here; her very subtle inflections, powerful and intricate lyrics, emotionally precise delivery, and simple but remarkably beautiful piano playing put these tracks at an artistic level frequented only by Bob Dylan at his best