Ophelia

Originally reviewed for week ending 5/23/98

Throughout her career as the front woman of 10,000 Maniacs and in her solo work since she left the Maniacs in 1993, Natalie Merchant has demonstrated an innate ability to write music that is as delicately beautiful as it is commercially successful. Her magic touch is evident on "Ophelia," her second solo album and one that seems destined to cement her reputation as one of the industry's boldest, most vital music makers. From the alluring title track (which features moody instrumentation and spoken passages in various languages) to the folk standard "When They Ring Them Golden Bells" to the irresistibly catchy first single, "Kind & Generous," this is a multifaceted gem of an album that showcases Merchant's skills as a sound sculptress in the Brian Wilson tradition. As with her solo debut, "Tigerlily," this album has tremendous cross-format potential.