:: Natalie Merchant - The House Carpenter’s Daughter

Natalie Merchant

After fifteen million album sales, and an amicable split with Elektra Records, The House Carpenters Daughter is Merchant’s first release on her own independent label. It is a collection of, in a quite broad sense of the word, folk songs, from Fairport Convention’s ‘Crazy Man Michael’ to the 18th century spiritual ‘Weeping Pilgrim’, they are songs that have inspired and shaped her own music. Using ‘traditional’ folk instrumentation (banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitar’s) she approaches these songs with a contemporary tilt that, coupled with the application of her own distinctive musicality (think Tiger Lily), style this album into a space that allows it to retains it inherent antiquity without gathering dust. Bluegrass jilts and sharp country shuffles (‘down on penny’s farm’) nestle comfortably alongside harrowing sparsity (‘diver boy). One of Merchant’s main strengths has always been vocal integrity. True to form, on The House Carpenters Daughter she sings like she means it, with a highly distinctive, easily recognisable breathiness that still manages to retain her underlying essence of strength and intent.

Note: Evan Alexander is a freelance journalist, an accredited composer/songwriter, frontman for Brisbane Alt/Indie Rock outfit AGE 6 (www.age6.com.au), and a solo performer. Contact Evan via Heapsaflash Music at email:heapsflash@hotmail.com