Natalie Merchant

More Musical Goodness for Your Consideration

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Recently, I picked up Natalie Merchant’s Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings. For those of you who missed the 90’s, Tigerlily is one of the defining albums of that decade.

It was Natalie Merchant’s breakthrough as a solo artist after fronting 10,000 Maniacs for over a decade. Listening to that album always takes me to a place where my soul is at rest and worries fade away.

The 90’s saw a renaissance and resurgence of singer-songwriters, particularly female artists. Some of my favorites from that era are Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole, Fiona Apple, and– of course– Natalie Merchant.

I can’t wait to hear the new takes on old tunes. Of course, I will have to revisit the original recordings first. I can envision a scenario where I’m in my car with the windows rolled down, driving at dusk toward my destination. That’s still my favorite way to experience music.

I’ll let you know my thoughts on Paradise is There. In the mean time, I remain as always open to your musical suggestions. The further off the beaten path of the usual radio fare, the better.

 

 

All Those 10,000 Maniacs and That Toasted Graham Latte

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“These are days, you’ll remember
Never before and never since, I promise
Will the whole world be warm as this and as you feel it

You’ll know it’s true that you are blessed and lucky
It’s true that you are touched by something
That will grow and bloom in you” (Natalie Merchant, Robert Buck).

Maybe I look at music a little differently than most, but it seems to me that certain kinds of music lend themselves to certain seasons of the year.

Obvious example: listening to The Beach Boys conjures up all sorts of images of summer. For me, a lot of 90’s alternative music makes me think of cooler temperatures and fallish weather. Don’t ask me why. It just does.

My soundtrack for the drive from work to meet my friend at Starbucks was the fantastic 10,000 Maniacs compilation, Campfire Songs. It covers the Natalie Merchant era and makes me want to wear a sweater. PS Maybe I’m old, but most of the new music I hear doesn’t even come close to the likes of 10,000 Maniacs or Natalie Merchant as a solo act. And it’s sad that it takes 8 songwriters and 3 producers to come up with something that pales in comparison to what guys like Freddy Mercury or Brian Wilson could do all by themselves.

I had every intention of enjoying a pumpkin spice latte, but the new toasted graham latte called out to me. Not literally, because that would have been super weird. More like a metaphorical kind of calling.

 

I’ve found that for me, the best kind of therapy is a good song at just the right moment. Music has a way of bringing me back from obsessing over the past or fretting over the future. It forces me (in a non-violent way) to be completely in the present.

Maybe that’s why I nerded out a bit when I found Patty Griffin’s newest album, Servant of Love, at Best Buy. It truly made my heart happy and immediately went into the CD player in my Red Sled aka my 1997 Jeep Cherokee with almost 293,000 miles on it.

God speaks to me most through music, and it doesn’t always have to be overtly Christian music. Sometimes a song that’s not even remotely about God can be a vehicle through which God speaks directly to my need.

God is good like that.

The end.

 

Relationships and Such

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I had some random thoughts on relationships based on what I’ve been observing on my social media outlets. I thought I’d share some of them with you. Don’t you feel so very lucky?

1) If you want to date better people, become a better person. You don’t attract what you want, but what you are.

2) In the end, you don’t choose your family, but you do choose to love them because they’re the only family you’ll get and once they’re gone, it’s too late to forgive and reconcile and make things right again. The pain of reconciliation and letting go of your pride is nowhere near the pain of regret and of chances forever lost.

3) The wisest people aren’t the ones who think they know it all, but the ones who know they have a lot to learn.

4) As I’ve said before, the only thing that can truly be your world and fulfill you and make you complete is Jesus. Anything and anyone else– husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, sons, daughters– can’t. To try to make someone your world is to commit idolatry and to place a burden on them that they were never meant to bear.

5) As underrated a virtue as it is, kindness does matter. Long after the six-pack abs and GQ looks have faded, kindness is what will get you through the storms and dark passages of life. Choose a mate who is attractive but more than that who is kind and generous.

6) Now you have that Natalie Merchant song stuck in your head. My work here is done.

7) The old saying is true. You really never understand other people until you’ve climbed in their shoes and walked around for a bit. Until you’ve seen life from their perspective.

8) In the end, it really won’t matter that you worked 60-hour weeks or accumulated trophies and awards and accolades or made lots of money. What will matter are the people whose lives you’ve touched. All that you can take with you is what you’ve given away.